First Bancorp: I'm Not Ready To Downgrade The Stock Just Yet

Daniel Jones Investing Group Leader Follow Summary The First Bancorp remains a soft ‘buy’ as fundamentals and margins improve, despite a 30.6% share price rally since March. FNLC’s net interest margin rose to 2.88%, and net profits increased to $9.6 million, supported by lower deposit costs and strong asset growth. Valuation is reasonable at a 10.8x P/E, with asset quality and returns (ROA 1.18%, ROE 12.89%) offsetting less attractive price-to-book metrics. Credit quality trends warrant monitoring, as non-performing assets and loans have increased above preferred thresholds but remain manageable. Looking for a helping hand in the market? Members of Crude Value Insights get exclusive ideas and guidance to navigate any climate. Learn More » Richard Drury/DigitalVision via Getty Images The last few months have been a really great time for shareholders of The First Bancorp ( FNLC ). Back in March, I made the decision to upgrade the stock from a 'hold' to a 'buy'. Fundamentals for This article was written by Daniel Jones 37.86K Followers Follow Daniel is an avid and active professional investor. He runs Crude Value Insights, a value-oriented newsletter aimed at analyzing the cash flows and assessing the value of companies in the oil and gas space. His primary focus is on finding businesses that are trading at a significant discount to their intrinsic value by employing a combination of Benjamin Graham's investment philosophy and a contrarian approach to the market and the securities therein. Learn more. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.