First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Shares Down 3.5%

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)’s share price dropped 3.5% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $24.34 and last traded at $24.34. Approximately 2,258 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 99% from the average daily volume of 160,430 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.21.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FBMS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TheStreet downgraded First Bancshares from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. StockNews.com downgraded First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.00.

First Bancshares Trading Up 0.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50-day moving average of $24.69 and a 200-day moving average of $26.02. The firm has a market cap of $789.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.55 and a beta of 0.88.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $60.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.10 million. First Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 19.47%. Research analysts anticipate that The First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.53 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FCG Investment Co acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the first quarter worth approximately $679,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth approximately $226,000. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth approximately $12,681,000. Petiole USA ltd boosted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Petiole USA ltd now owns 202,145 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,929,000 after purchasing an additional 32,643 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $87,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.