Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Increases Stake in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 84.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 59,194 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 27,118 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned 0.19% of First Bancshares worth $2,072,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth $846,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in First Bancshares by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 475,014 shares of the bank’s stock worth $15,262,000 after buying an additional 26,349 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in First Bancshares by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 971,246 shares of the bank’s stock worth $31,206,000 after buying an additional 28,215 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in First Bancshares by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,787,000 after buying an additional 28,184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its position in First Bancshares by 1,454.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 619,730 shares of the bank’s stock worth $19,912,000 after buying an additional 579,851 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FBMS. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Thursday. They set a “sell” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $34.33 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $39.21. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $35.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.89.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 40.98%.

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.