Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Decreases Holdings in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 72,075 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 3,306 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.23% of First Bancshares worth $2,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FBMS. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in First Bancshares by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 19,518 shares of the bank’s stock worth $683,000 after buying an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. FMR LLC raised its stake in First Bancshares by 50.8% in the 3rd 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. Centiva Capital LP lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 9,767 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in First Bancshares by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,944 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,013,000 after purchasing an additional 2,624 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FBMS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Saturday, March 29th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $33.75 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $35.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.06. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.96 and a 1-year high of $39.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.92.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.98%.

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.