Geode Capital Management LLC Purchases 12,567 Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 1.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 675,448 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,567 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.16% of First Bancshares worth $21,706,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FBMS. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 579,851 shares during the period. Westchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter worth $8,249,000. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the second quarter worth $4,548,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 7.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,404,491 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,487,000 after acquiring an additional 91,314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 65.0% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 231,635 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,018,000 after acquiring an additional 91,269 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

First Bancshares Stock Down 0.8 %

FBMS opened at $34.96 on Friday. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two 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. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $35.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.04. The company has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.82 and a beta of 0.93.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on FBMS. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. They issued 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 stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.17.

First Bancshares 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.