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

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research note released on Sunday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

First Bancshares stock opened at $33.75 on Friday. First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $39.21. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $35.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.09. 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 stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.92.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 40.98%.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FBMS. Vestcor Inc purchased a new position in First Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 864.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 974 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position 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. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,102 shares of the bank’s stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.