First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Earns Sell Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMSFree Report) in a report issued on Saturday. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on FBMS. Janney Montgomery Scott cut shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Bancshares currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.17.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on FBMS

First Bancshares Stock Performance

FBMS opened at $36.58 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.55 and a beta of 0.93. First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $39.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a fifty day moving average of $34.72 and a 200 day moving average of $31.08.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 45.25%.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of First Bancshares by 3,387.8% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,660 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth $89,000. FMR LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. 69.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About First Bancshares

(Get Free Report)

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.

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