Yakira Capital Management Inc. Invests $1.30 Million in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Yakira Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 37,164 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $1,301,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FBMS. Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in First Bancshares by 50.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth $182,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at about $236,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Sunday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

First Bancshares Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $33.75 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $35.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.08. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $39.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.92.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.98%.

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.