First Bancorp (FBNC) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates

Group 1: Earnings Performance - First Bancorp reported quarterly earnings of $0.76 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.72 per share, and up from $0.72 per share a year ago, representing an earnings surprise of 5.56% [1] - The company posted revenues of $102.48 million for the quarter ended December 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.48%, and an increase from year-ago revenues of $97.03 million [2] Group 2: Market Performance and Outlook - First Bancorp shares have increased by approximately 0.4% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 3.2% [3] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.74 on revenues of $104 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $3.08 on revenues of $433 million [7] Group 3: Industry Context - The Zacks Industry Rank for Banks - Southeast is currently in the top 12% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating a favorable outlook for the sector [8] - Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which can impact stock performance [5]