The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Shares Acquired by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 14,102 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 714 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in First Bancshares were worth $414,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $59,000. Amalgamated Bank raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 2,966 shares of the bank’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $209,000. ELCO Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth about $327,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

First Bancshares Stock Down 4.6 %

FBMS stock opened at $23.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $746.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.48 and a beta of 0.88. 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 First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.82 and a 12 month high of $32.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $24.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.99.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). First Bancshares had a net margin of 20.00% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm had revenue of $60.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $72.10 million. As a group, analysts forecast that The First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.18%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.