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

Equities researchers at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research note issued to investors on Monday. The brokerage set a “sell” rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on FBMS. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. 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 research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, First Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.75.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

First Bancshares stock opened at $37.64 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.42 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $36.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.54. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $39.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 19,518 shares of the bank’s stock worth $683,000 after buying an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in First Bancshares by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,286 shares of the bank’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in First Bancshares by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,102 shares of the bank’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in First Bancshares by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 18,404 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $644,000 after purchasing an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.