First Bancshares (FBMS) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) is set to announce its earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.60 per share for the quarter. Investors that wish to listen to the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.11). First Bancshares had a net margin of 19.47% and a return on equity of 10.60%. The firm had revenue of $60.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $72.10 million. On average, analysts expect First Bancshares to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FBMS opened at $23.15 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $24.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.10. 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. The company has a market capitalization of $722.97 million, a P/E ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 0.88.

First Bancshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 7th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 6th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.32%. This is an increase from First Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 41.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on FBMS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com cut First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. TheStreet cut First Bancshares from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,566,603 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $45,948,000 after acquiring an additional 36,340 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 83,125 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,438,000 after acquiring an additional 7,251 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD acquired a new position in First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $219,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $490,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 65.4% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 73,941 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,168,000 after acquiring an additional 29,244 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

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.