The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 54.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 33,000 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 39,262 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in First Bancshares were worth $1,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of FBMS. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in 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 buying an additional 59,471 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 17.8% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,797 shares of the bank’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in First Bancshares by 80.2% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 17,555 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $455,000 after purchasing an additional 7,815 shares during the period. Algebris UK Ltd purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,492,000. Finally, Boston Partners acquired a new position in First Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth approximately $895,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on FBMS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.50.

First Bancshares Stock Down 1.2 %

First Bancshares stock opened at $37.75 on Wednesday. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $39.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $33.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

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.