First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Reaches New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FBMS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Saturday. They issued a “sell” rating on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, First Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.75.

First Bancshares Stock Down 0.8 %

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 stock’s 50-day moving average price is $35.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.87. The company has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.94.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.98%.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 53.2% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 68,344 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,776,000 after buying an additional 23,747 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in First Bancshares by 310.0% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 91,591 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,380,000 after buying an additional 69,254 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of First Bancshares by 54.3% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 19,133 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 6,731 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in First Bancshares by 73.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in First Bancshares by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 16,751 shares of the bank’s stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. 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.