First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $39.13 and last traded at $38.96, with a volume of 137348 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $37.49.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on FBMS. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com started coverage on First Bancshares in a report on Friday, January 24th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.75.

First Bancshares Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $35.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.76. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52 and a beta of 0.94.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.25%.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 73.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in First Bancshares by 50.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $236,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $308,000. 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.