StockNews.com Begins Coverage on First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Equities researchers at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a report issued on Sunday. The brokerage set a “sell” rating on the bank’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.17.

First Bancshares Stock Down 0.3 %

FBMS stock opened at $36.17 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a 50-day moving average of $35.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.36. First Bancshares has a 52-week low of $22.96 and a 52-week 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,256,000. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 1,454.0% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 619,730 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $19,912,000 after buying an additional 579,851 shares during the period. Westchester Capital Management LLC bought a new position in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $8,249,000. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth $4,548,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,404,491 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,487,000 after acquiring an additional 91,314 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

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.