The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Shares Purchased by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 967,043 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 68,396 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 3.10% of First Bancshares worth $33,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 50.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at $203,000. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at $236,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth about $308,000. Finally, Centiva Capital LP raised its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 9,767 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 1,476 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FBMS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com began coverage on First Bancshares in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “sell” rating on the stock.

First Bancshares Trading Up 4.5 %

Shares of First Bancshares stock opened at $34.33 on Monday. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $39.21. 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 cap of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.89.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.98%.

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.