The First Bancshares, Inc. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.25 (NASDAQ:FBMS)

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be given 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 dividend yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th.

First Bancshares has increased its dividend by an average of 28.9% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 7 years. First Bancshares has a dividend payout ratio of 37.2% indicating that 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 Price Performance

NASDAQ FBMS traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $24.83. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 160,365. The stock has a market cap of $775.19 million, a PE ratio of 9.94 and a beta of 0.88. First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $22.82 and a fifty-two week high of $32.06. The company’s 50-day moving average is $24.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $60.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.10 million. First Bancshares had a net margin of 20.00% and a return on equity of 9.85%. Analysts forecast that First Bancshares will post 2.53 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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