LPL Financial LLC Raises Position in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,518 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.06% of First Bancshares worth $683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FBMS. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $846,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in First Bancshares by 5.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 475,014 shares of the bank’s stock worth $15,262,000 after acquiring an additional 26,349 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 48.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,787,000 after acquiring an additional 28,184 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 967,043 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $33,847,000 after acquiring an additional 68,396 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 50.8% during the 3rd 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

First Bancshares Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of FBMS stock opened at $33.75 on Wednesday. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $23.60 and a twelve month high of $39.21. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $34.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors 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 yield of 2.96%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.