First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Now Covered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

First Bancshares Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ FBMS opened at $34.56 on Wednesday. First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $22.96 and a 12-month high of $39.21. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.16 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.83.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.98%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of FBMS. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at $56,256,000. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 1,454.0% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 619,730 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $19,912,000 after purchasing an additional 579,851 shares during the period. Susquehanna International Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 436.7% during the fourth quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 376,549 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,179,000 after purchasing an additional 306,390 shares during the period. Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P increased its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 346.5% during the fourth quarter. Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P now owns 360,555 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $12,619,000 after purchasing an additional 279,812 shares during the period. Finally, Westchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at $8,249,000. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First Bancshares

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.