First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Posted by on Sep 19th, 2026

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC – Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $68.9375.

FBNC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on First Bancorp from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Brean Capital initiated coverage on First Bancorp in a research note on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $65.75 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on First Bancorp from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of First Bancorp from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th.

Check Out Our Latest Report on First Bancorp

First Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of First Bancorp stock opened at $63.38 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $64.27 and a 200-day moving average of $60.60. First Bancorp has a 1-year low of $45.96 and a 1-year high of $66.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of 19.68 and a beta of 0.80.

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.07. First Bancorp had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The business had revenue of $127.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $126.07 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that First Bancorp will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. First Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Martin & Co. Inc. TN acquired a new position in First Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,310,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of First Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $19,671,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Bancorp in the second quarter worth approximately $1,123,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Bancorp in the second quarter worth approximately $19,779,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in First Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $380,347,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

First Bancorp Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

First Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Through its principal subsidiary, First Bank, the company provides community banking services to individuals, businesses and institutions.

First Bank offers a range of financial products, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer and commercial loans, residential mortgages, and agricultural lending. Its services also include online and mobile banking, treasury management, wealth management and other financial solutions for business and personal customers.

Founded in 1983, First Bancorp has expanded its banking operations across North Carolina and neighboring markets in South Carolina and Virginia.

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Analyst Recommendations for First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC)

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