The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) to Issue $0.25 Quarterly Dividend

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be paid a dividend of 0.25 per share by the bank on Thursday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.99%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th.

First Bancshares has raised its dividend payment by an average of 28.9% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 7 years. First Bancshares has a dividend payout ratio of 37.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect First Bancshares to earn $2.68 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 37.3%.

First Bancshares Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of FBMS opened at $25.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $781.75 million, a P/E ratio of 9.94 and a beta of 0.88. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.82 and a one year high of $32.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $24.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.01.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last issued its quarterly 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 20.00% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business had revenue of $60.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $72.10 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that First Bancshares will post 2.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on FBMS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. TheStreet lowered First Bancshares from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

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.