First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

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

FBMS has been the topic of several other reports. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company 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 issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.17.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

FBMS stock opened at $34.36 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.55 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $35.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.96 and a 12 month high of $39.08.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FBMS. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $89,000. CWM LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,251 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in First Bancshares by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System acquired a new stake in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

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.