First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. TheStreet cut shares of First Bancshares from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Stephens reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $34.00 target price on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a market perform rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Friday, January 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, First Bancshares has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $32.00.

First Bancshares Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ FBMS opened at $24.15 on Monday. First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $22.82 and a 1 year high of $32.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $24.66 and a 200 day moving average of $25.93. The stock has a market cap of $753.96 million, a P/E ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 0.88.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.05. First Bancshares had a net margin of 20.00% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business had revenue of $104.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Bancshares will post 2.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.68%.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FBMS. Steele Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in First Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,788,000. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 69.9% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 16,849 shares of the bank’s stock worth $454,000 after purchasing an additional 6,934 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in First Bancshares by 0.8% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 61,430 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,657,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in First Bancshares by 18.6% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 13,388 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 2,102 shares during the period. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $327,000. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.