The First Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for The First, A National Banking Association 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. The company also provides commercial loans comprising secured and unsecured loans for working capital, business expansion, and purchase of equipment and machinery; consumer loans consisting of equity lines of credit, as well as secured and unsecured loans for financing automobiles, home improvements, education, and personal investments; and real estate construction and acquisition loans. In addition, it originates loans to purchase existing residential homes or construct new homes, and to refinance existing mortgages; and provides financial and wealth management services. Further, the company offers internet banking services, automated teller machines, voice response telephone inquiry services, commercial sweep accounts, cash management services, safe deposit boxes, merchant, mobile deposit, direct deposit of payroll and social security checks, automatic drafts for various accounts, and credit card services. It primarily serves small to medium-sized businesses, professional concerns, individuals, associations, organizations, and governmental authorities. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 90 locations in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. The First Bancshares, Inc. was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have weighed in on FBMS. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on shares of First Bancshares to $4.00 and set a "na" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 16th. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, July 28th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 23rd.
First Bancshares Stock Up 4.0 %
First Bancshares stock opened at $31.68 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market cap of $761.27 million, a PE ratio of 10.29 and a beta of 1.01. First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $26.95 and a fifty-two week high of $42.89. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $29.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.95.
First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 27th. The bank reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $50.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.08 million. First Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.19% and a net margin of 29.88%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.74 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that First Bancshares will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.
First Bancshares Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 25th. Investors of record on Monday, August 8th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 5th. This is an increase from First Bancshares's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.68%.