First Bancorp (FBNC) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

First Bancorp (NASDAQ: FBNC) is the bank holding company for FirstBank, a regional financial institution headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Established in 1990 with origins dating back to the 1930s, the company operates more than 130 branch offices across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Florida. First Bancorp’s network serves a mix of urban and rural communities, positioning it as a community-oriented provider of banking solutions in the southeastern United States.

Over its multi-decade history, First Bancorp has expanded through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions, broadening its geographic footprint and product offerings. The company has integrated a series of community banks under the FirstBank brand, enhancing its scale while maintaining a focus on personalized client service. This growth strategy has enabled First Bancorp to build a diversified deposit base and strengthen its lending capacity across its primary markets.

First Bancorp’s core business activities include commercial and consumer banking, mortgage lending, treasury management and wealth advisory services. Its commercial banking segment addresses the financial needs of small- to mid-sized enterprises, offering working capital lines, equipment financing and SBA loan programs. On the consumer side, FirstBank provides deposit accounts, residential mortgages and home equity lending. Complementing these offerings, the company’s wealth management division delivers investment advisory, trust administration and retirement planning to individual and institutional clients.

The company is led by President and Chief Executive Officer William H. Rogers Jr., who has guided First Bancorp through significant expansion and digital transformation initiatives. Under his leadership, the executive team has prioritized service excellence, community engagement and prudent risk management. First Bancorp maintains its commitment to local markets while leveraging its regional scale to invest in technology and talent, aiming to deliver a blend of relationship-driven banking and innovative financial solutions.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $46.69 to $47.59
• 50-Day Range: $40.06 to $47.24
• 52-Week Range: $31.55 to $50.34
• Volume: 181,973 shs
• Average Volume: 190,860 shs
• Market Capitalization: $1.96 billion
• P/E Ratio: 22.39
• Dividend Yield: 1.95%
• Price Target: $49.33
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

First Bancorp Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

First Bancorp scored higher than 43% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 2029th out of 2,763 stocks in the finance sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

First Bancorp has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.50, and is based on 2 buy ratings, 2 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

First Bancorp has only been the subject of 3 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 6.42%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for First Bancorp are expected to grow by 6.42% in the coming year, from $3.27 to $3.48 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of First Bancorp is 22.39, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 25.58.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of First Bancorp is 22.39, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 20.07.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

First Bancorp has a P/B Ratio of 1.35. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 4.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.44% of the float of First Bancorp has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

First Bancorp has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 5.3.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in First Bancorp has recently decreased by 11.45%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Moderate

Dividend Yield

First Bancorp pays a meaningful dividend of 1.96%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

First Bancorp does not have a long track record of dividend growth.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of First Bancorp is 43.60%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, First Bancorp will have a dividend payout ratio of 26.44% next year. This indicates that First Bancorp will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: N/A
• Environmental Score: N/A

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.44% of the float of First Bancorp has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

First Bancorp has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 5.3.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in First Bancorp has recently decreased by 11.45%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.2 / 5
• News Sentiment: N/A

News Sentiment

First Bancorp has a news sentiment score of 0.92. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.67 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 1 news article for First Bancorp this week, compared to 3 articles on an average week.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, First Bancorp insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 3.65% of the stock of First Bancorp is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

68.36% of the stock of First Bancorp is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

FBNC Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have FBNC shares performed this year?

First Bancorp's stock was trading at $43.97 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, FBNC stock has increased by 7.4% and is now trading at $47.2350.

How were First Bancorp's earnings last quarter?

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April, 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.06. The financial services provider had revenue of $105.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $105.81 million. First Bancorp had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 8.52% and a net margin of 16.08%.

How do I buy shares of First Bancorp?

Shares of FBNC stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of First Bancorp own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that First Bancorp investors own include Humana (HUM), American Water Works (AWK), Waste Connections (WCN), Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR), The RMR Group (RMR), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH) and AU Optronics (AUOTY).

Company Calendar

• Record date for 4/25 Dividend: 3/31/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 4/25 Dividend: 3/31/2025
• Last Earnings: 4/23/2025
• Dividend Payable: 4/25/2025
• Record date for 7/25 Dividend: 6/30/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 7/25 Dividend: 6/30/2025
• Today: 7/03/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 7/23/2025
• Dividend Payable: 7/25/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Finance
• Industry: BANKS - SOUTHEAST
• Sub-Industry: Regional Banks
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:FBNC
• CIK: 811589
• Web: www.localfirstbank.com
• Phone: (910) 246-2500
• Fax: 910-576-0662
• Employees: 1,396
• Year Founded: 1948

Price Target and Rating

• Average Stock Price Target: $49.33
• High Stock Price Target: $50.00
• Low Stock Price Target: $48.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +4.4%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.50
• Research Coverage: 4 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $2.11
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 22.39
• Forward P/E Ratio: 14.44
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $76.21 million
• Net Margins: 16.08%
• Pretax Margin: 20.82%
• Return on Equity: 8.52%
• Return on Assets: 1.02%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.06
• Current Ratio: 0.82
• Quick Ratio: 0.82

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $537.14 million
• Price / Sales: 3.64
• Cash Flow: $3.45 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 13.70
• Book Value: $34.97 per share
• Price / Book: 1.35

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 41,420,000
• Free Float: 39,908,000
• Market Cap: $1.96 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.87