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

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday. The firm set a “sell” rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of 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 given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.75.

First Bancshares Trading Down 0.8 %

First Bancshares stock opened at $38.38 on Friday. First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.96 and a 12 month high of $39.13. The stock has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $35.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $33.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $56,256,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in First Bancshares by 1,454.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 619,730 shares of the bank’s stock worth $19,912,000 after acquiring an additional 579,851 shares during the last quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at $8,249,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $6,296,000. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth $4,543,000. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.