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

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

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ FBMS opened at $34.33 on Thursday. 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 $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $35.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.87. First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $39.21.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FBMS. Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in First Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in First Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in First Bancshares by 864.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 974 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in First Bancshares by 50.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,102 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. 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.