First Bancshares (FBMS) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) is set to announce its earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.60 per share for the quarter. Investors interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.11). First Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 19.47%. The firm had revenue of $60.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.10 million. On average, analysts expect First Bancshares to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

First Bancshares Trading Down 0.9 %

NASDAQ FBMS opened at $23.15 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.82 and a 52 week high of $32.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $722.97 million, a PE ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $24.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.10.

First Bancshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 6th. This is a boost from First Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 41.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on FBMS shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet cut shares of First Bancshares from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FBMS. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in First Bancshares by 8.8% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,633,224 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $68,043,000 after purchasing an additional 213,743 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,566,603 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $45,948,000 after buying an additional 36,340 shares during the period. North Reef Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. North Reef Capital Management LP now owns 1,238,991 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,340,000 after buying an additional 132,210 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 886,685 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $22,912,000 after buying an additional 64,838 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 806,624 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $20,843,000 after buying an additional 14,591 shares during the period. 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.