  Let $M$ be an $n(\geq3)$-dimensional oriented compact submanifold with
parallel mean curvature in the simply connected space form $F^{n+p}(c)$ with
$c+H^2>0$, where $H$ is the mean curvature of $M$. We prove that if the Ricci
curvature of $M$ satisfies $Ric_{M}\geq(n-2)(c+H^2),$ then $M$ is either a
totally umbilic sphere, the Clifford hypersurface
$S^{m}\big(\frac{1}{\sqrt{2(c+H^2)}}\big)\times
S^{m}\big(\frac{1}{\sqrt{2(c+H^2)}}\big)$ in $S^{n+1}(\frac{1}{\sqrt{c+H^2}})$
with $n=2m$, or $\mathbb{C}P^{2}(4/3(c+H^2))$ in $S^7(\frac{1}{\sqrt{c+H^2}})$.
In particular, if $Ric_{M}>(n-2)(c+H^2),$ then $M$ is a totally umbilic sphere.
