The First Bancshares, Inc. (FBMS) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.25 on May 23rd

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be given a dividend of 0.25 per share by the bank on Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th.

First Bancshares has raised its dividend by an average of 28.9% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 7 consecutive years. First Bancshares has a dividend payout ratio of 37.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect First Bancshares to earn $2.68 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 37.3%.

First Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ:FBMS traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $24.83. 12,101 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 160,365. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $22.82 and a 12-month high of $32.06. The company has a market cap of $775.19 million, a PE ratio of 9.94 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $24.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.01.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $60.01 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.10 million. On average, analysts expect that First Bancshares will post 2.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FBMS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, April 13th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $34.00 target price on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. TheStreet lowered First Bancshares from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Friday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently 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.