Meeder Asset Management Inc. Takes Position in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 824 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $29,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in First Bancshares by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 19,518 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 521 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 50.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 9,767 shares of the bank’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in First Bancshares by 10.0% during the fourth 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. Institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Saturday, March 29th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company.

First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of First Bancshares stock opened at $33.75 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $35.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $35.06. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

First Bancshares 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.