7,335 Shares in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Acquired by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,335 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. CWM LLC increased its position in First Bancshares by 3,387.8% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,660 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $203,000. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ FBMS opened at $36.17 on Monday. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.96 and a 52-week high of $39.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.93.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.76%. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 45.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Sunday. They set a “sell” rating on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective 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 given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.17.

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.