The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $37.17.

FBMS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott cut First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at $89,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 73.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 50.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at about $203,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System purchased a new position in First Bancshares during the second quarter worth about $216,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of FBMS opened at $33.44 on Tuesday. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $39.08. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 15.13 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $35.95 and a 200-day moving average of $32.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

First Bancshares Company Profile

The First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for The First Bank that provides general commercial and retail banking services. The company operates through three segments: Commercial/Retail Bank, Mortgage Banking Division, and Holding Company. It offers deposit services, including checking, NOW, and savings accounts; other time deposits, such as daily money market accounts and longer-term certificates of deposit; and individual retirement and health savings accounts.