First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Raised to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. TheStreet lowered shares of First Bancshares from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a market perform rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $34.00 target price on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $32.00.

First Bancshares Trading Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ FBMS opened at $24.15 on Monday. First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.82 and a 12 month high of $32.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $753.96 million, a PE ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $24.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.93.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $104.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.30 million. First Bancshares had a net margin of 20.00% and a return on equity of 9.85%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. On average, analysts expect that First Bancshares will post 2.53 EPS for the current year.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 6th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.68%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steele Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $1,788,000. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of First Bancshares by 69.9% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 16,849 shares of the bank’s stock worth $454,000 after acquiring an additional 6,934 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of First Bancshares by 0.8% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 61,430 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,657,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in First Bancshares by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 13,388 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 2,102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at about $327,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

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.