First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Shares Down 3.5%

Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) were down 3.5% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $24.34 and last traded at $24.34. Approximately 2,258 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 99% from the average daily volume of 160,430 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.21.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on FBMS shares. TheStreet cut shares of First Bancshares from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. StockNews.com cut shares of First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 13th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Friday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

First Bancshares Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $789.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.55 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $24.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.02.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $60.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $72.10 million. First Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 19.47%. Sell-side analysts predict that The First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $87,000. Amalgamated Bank raised its position in First Bancshares by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 2,966 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, ELCO Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $201,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

About First Bancshares

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.