First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Now Covered by StockNews.com

Equities researchers at StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm set a “sell” rating on the bank’s stock.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target 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.

First Bancshares Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $33.35 on Thursday. 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 has a 12 month low of $22.96 and a 12 month high of $39.21. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 13.67 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.88.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FBMS. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at $846,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 475,014 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $15,262,000 after buying an additional 26,349 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 971,246 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,206,000 after buying an additional 28,215 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,787,000 after buying an additional 28,184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 1,454.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 619,730 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $19,912,000 after buying an additional 579,851 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.