Raymond James Financial Inc. Acquires Shares of 8,781 The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,781 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $307,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in First Bancshares by 50.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP raised its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 9,767 shares of the bank’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 1,476 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,944 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,013,000 after purchasing an additional 2,624 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 20,553 shares of the bank’s stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 3,802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in First Bancshares by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 97,768 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,422,000 after acquiring an additional 4,702 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Sunday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

First Bancshares Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of FBMS stock opened at $33.75 on Thursday. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $39.21. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $35.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.09.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 40.98%.

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.