The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.17.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on FBMS shares. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $35.67 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $35.91 and a 200 day moving average of $32.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.14 and a beta of 0.94. First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.96 and a 12 month high of $39.08.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC increased its stake in First Bancshares by 73.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in First Bancshares by 50.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at about $89,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at about $203,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $236,000. 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.