Olympiad Research LP Sells 12,727 Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Olympiad Research LP lessened its position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 41.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,300 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 12,727 shares during the period. First Bancshares makes up approximately 0.7% of Olympiad Research LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Olympiad Research LP’s holdings in First Bancshares were worth $640,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in FBMS. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 73.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 1,251 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 50.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $203,000. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $236,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $308,000. Institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

First Bancshares Stock Down 1.7 %

NASDAQ FBMS opened at $36.06 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.96 and a 1-year high of $39.21. The company has a 50 day moving average of $36.13 and a 200-day moving average of $34.62. The company has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.78 and a beta of 0.94.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 40.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, February 17th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, First Bancshares has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.75.

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.