BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $349,000 Stake in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 63.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,860 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 18,874 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in First Bancshares were worth $349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 4.6% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 19,503 shares of the bank’s stock worth $499,000 after buying an additional 861 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 50.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 1,076 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 73.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 1.8% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 72,262 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,877,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 17.8% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,797 shares of the bank’s stock worth $229,000 after buying an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on FBMS. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Sunday. They issued a “sell” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, First Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.17.

First Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $36.17 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $35.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.36. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.93. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $39.08. 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is presently 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.