First Bancshares (FBMS) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) is set to post its quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect First Bancshares to post earnings of $0.60 per share for the quarter. Investors that wish to listen to the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.11). First Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 19.47%. The firm had revenue of $60.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.10 million. On average, analysts expect First Bancshares to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of FBMS stock opened at $24.61 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $24.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.03. The stock has a market cap of $768.57 million, a PE ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.82 and a 12 month high of $32.06.

First Bancshares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 7th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 6th. This is a boost from First Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 41.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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