Brokerages Set The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Price Target at $35.50

Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $35.50.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on FBMS shares. Hovde Group lifted their target price on First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $31.00 to $40.00 in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “sell” rating on the stock.

First Bancshares Trading Down 0.4 %

First Bancshares stock opened at $35.89 on Monday. First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.96 and a 52 week high of $38.21. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.24 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $33.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.97.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in First Bancshares by 72.7% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 62,984 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,634,000 after acquiring an additional 26,514 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 1st quarter valued at $895,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in First Bancshares by 3.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,626,074 shares of the bank’s stock worth $42,197,000 after buying an additional 59,471 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 16.3% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 119,512 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,105,000 after buying an additional 16,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,548,000. 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.