First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.05 EPS

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) announced its earnings results on Monday. The bank reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.05, Yahoo Finance reports. First Bancshares had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 20.00%. The business had revenue of $104.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $69.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of FBMS opened at $24.13 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $24.68 and a 200-day moving average of $25.95. The company has a market cap of $753.34 million, a PE ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 0.88. 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.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.14%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. TheStreet lowered First Bancshares from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded First Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Bancshares currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.00.

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.