Fact based stock research
First Bancorp (NasdaqGS:FBNC)

US3189101062

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

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First Bancorp stock research in summary

localfirstbank.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with investment alternatives), First Bancorp (Regional Banks, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of First Bancorp are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 13 (worse than 87% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 81) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 79, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation based on First Bancorp's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company First Bancorp exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 13), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 81). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 79) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	13
Growth Rank	81
Safety Rank	79
Combined Rank	71

Country	USA
Industry	Regional Banks
Index	Sound Pay USA, NASDAQ
Size class	Small

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: First Bancorp

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	19	18	13	13
GROWTH
GROWTH	66	5	39	81
SAFETY
SAFETY	65	55	80	79
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	67	56	37	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	63	12	31	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Mar-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better First Bancorp is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	19	18	13	13
GROWTH
GROWTH	66	5	39	81
SAFETY
SAFETY	65	55	80	79
COMBINED
COMBINED	52	8	28	71

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of First Bancorp the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 13 (worse than 87% compared with alternatives), First Bancorp shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for First Bancorp. Price-to-Sales is 10 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 90% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning First Bancorp's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 24, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of First Bancorp. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 15 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 76% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 13, is a sell recommendation based on First Bancorp's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for First Bancorp? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as First Bancorp? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. First Bancorp may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	30	26	18	10
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	34	21	26	15
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	35	45	43	24
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	27	32	25	24
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	19	18	13	13

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of First Bancorp; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 81 (better than 81% compared with alternatives) for 2025, First Bancorp shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for First Bancorp. Profit Growth has a rank of 79, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 79% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 77 (above 77% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 46, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 54% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 45. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 81, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Because revenues and invested capital are the more solid growth indicators, the positive development on the profit side is less relevant. It may have been caused by cost-cutting, which may be a negative growth indicator. Finally, the above-average stock returns recently are a thing of the past and not a good indicator of future returns. Investors should be confident that the cost-cutting initiative leading to higher profits is to benefit the company's future. If not, there is little growth momentum, and investment is only advisable if the Value Ranks suggest a good investment timing for First Bancorp. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	88	34	33	46
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	42	19	63	79
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	28	15	43	45
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	69	15	41	77
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	66	5	39	81

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of First Bancorp.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 79 (better than 79% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company First Bancorp has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of First Bancorp is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for First Bancorp. Leverage is at a rank of 70, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 70% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 86, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 86% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 37, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 63% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 79 (better than 79% compared with alternatives), First Bancorp has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for First Bancorp. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with First Bancorp and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	60	26	56	70
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	12	45	45	37
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	87	99	100	86
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	65	55	80	79

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of First Bancorp and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	85	35	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	79	21	97	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	17	58	35	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	84	53	50	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	67	56	37	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for First Bancorp.
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