13,196 Shares in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Purchased by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 13,196 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $462,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Magnetar Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of First Bancshares by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 755,555 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $26,444,000 after acquiring an additional 18,133 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $492,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its position in First Bancshares by 84.5% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 59,194 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,072,000 after purchasing an additional 27,118 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $307,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FBMS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on First Bancshares in a report on Friday, March 21st. They set a “sell” rating on the stock.

First Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $35.47 on Thursday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $36.10 and a 200-day moving average of $34.98. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.96 and a 52 week high of $39.21. The company has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 0.92.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders 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 2.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 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.