StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a report released on Sunday. The brokerage set a “sell” rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.17.

First Bancshares Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of First Bancshares stock opened at $36.97 on Friday. First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $22.96 and a 12-month high of $39.08. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $35.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.50. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.73 and a beta of 0.93.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FBMS. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 3,387.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 1,660 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the second quarter worth about $89,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at about $203,000. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.