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

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th.

First Bancshares has increased its dividend payment by an average of 28.9% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 7 years. First Bancshares has a payout ratio of 37.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FBMS opened at $24.77 on Friday. First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.82 and a 52 week high of $32.06. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $24.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.88. 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 firm has a market cap of $773.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.90.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $104.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.30 million. First Bancshares had a net margin of 20.00% and a return on equity of 9.85%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that First Bancshares will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on FBMS shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $34.00 price objective on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. TheStreet downgraded shares of First Bancshares from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.