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

Equities researchers at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a report issued on Saturday. The firm set a “sell” rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott cut shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.75.

First Bancshares Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of FBMS opened at $38.38 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.94. First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $22.96 and a 12-month high of $39.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $35.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.87.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in First Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $846,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 5.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 475,014 shares of the bank’s stock worth $15,262,000 after purchasing an additional 26,349 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 971,246 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,206,000 after purchasing an additional 28,215 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,054,000. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in First Bancshares by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,787,000 after purchasing an additional 28,184 shares in 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.