First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

FBMS has been the topic of several other reports. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of First Bancshares in a research report 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 set a $28.00 price objective on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, First Bancshares has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.00.

First Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ:FBMS traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $24.13. The stock had a trading volume of 146,598 shares, compared to its average volume of 161,213. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $753.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.82 and a one year high of $32.06.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FCG Investment Co purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 1st quarter worth $679,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth about $226,000. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp bought a new stake in First Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,681,000. Petiole USA ltd lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Petiole USA ltd now owns 202,145 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,929,000 after purchasing an additional 32,643 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $87,000. 69.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Bancshares Company Profile

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.