First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Upgraded to Hold by StockNews.com

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

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

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of FBMS stock opened at $24.13 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $753.34 million, a P/E ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 0.88. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.82 and a one year high of $32.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $24.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.95.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in First Bancshares by 0.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,530,263 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,271,000 after buying an additional 12,212 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,115,691 shares of the bank’s stock worth $32,724,000 after buying an additional 106,088 shares in the last quarter. North Reef Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 0.8% during the third quarter. North Reef Capital Management LP now owns 1,106,781 shares of the bank’s stock worth $29,850,000 after buying an additional 8,945 shares in the last quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $12,681,000. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 1.8% during the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 340,112 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $9,173,000 after buying an additional 6,011 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

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.