Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 62,643 Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 52.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,869 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 62,643 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.18% of First Bancshares worth $1,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,626,074 shares of the bank’s stock worth $42,197,000 after purchasing an additional 59,471 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position 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 valued at $36,487,000 after buying an additional 91,314 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 65.0% during the 2nd 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 period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 190,928 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,960,000 after acquiring an additional 16,777 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,548,000. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Bancshares Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $37.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94 and a beta of 0.91. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $33.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.40. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $39.08.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on First Bancshares in a research note on Friday. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.50.

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.