117,686 Shares in First Financial Bankshares, Inc. $FFIN Purchased by Phocas Financial Corp.

Key Points

• Phocas Financial Corp. acquired 117,686 shares of First Financial Bankshares (FFIN) in Q4—about $3.515 million—leaving it with roughly 0.08% ownership at quarter-end.
• FFIN beat Q4 EPS expectations ($0.51 vs. $0.48) with revenue up 13.1% year-over-year; the stock trades near $31.14 with a market cap of $4.46 billion and a 52-week range of $28.11–$38.74.
• Company insiders bought shares (21,629 acquired last quarter; insiders own 3.8%), while analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target of $37.33 and some recent price-target cuts (KBW to $34).

Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new position in shares of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 117,686 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $3,515,000. Phocas Financial Corp. owned 0.08% of First Financial Bankshares at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of FFIN. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bankshares during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Corsicana & Co. acquired a new position in First Financial Bankshares in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in First Financial Bankshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 66.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,026 shares of the bank's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial Bankshares in the third quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.78% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on FFIN shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on First Financial Bankshares from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of First Financial Bankshares in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.33.

First Financial Bankshares Trading Down 0.8%

FFIN stock opened at $31.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.59 and a beta of 0.82. First Financial Bankshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.11 and a 1 year high of $38.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.50.

First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. First Financial Bankshares had a net margin of 30.43% and a return on equity of 14.16%. The firm had revenue of $164.72 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $165.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that First Financial Bankshares, Inc. will post 1.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bankshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. First Financial Bankshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.94%.

Insider Transactions at First Financial Bankshares

In related news, Director Johnny Trotter bought 1,000 shares of First Financial Bankshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $29.26 per share, for a total transaction of $29,260.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 956,444 shares in the company, valued at $27,985,551.44. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Sally Pope Davis purchased 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $29.52 per share, for a total transaction of $53,136.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 10,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $306,151.92. The trade was a 21.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 21,629 shares of company stock worth $681,060. 3.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

First Financial Bankshares Company Profile

First Financial Bankshares, Inc is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through its primary subsidiary, First Financial Bank, the company offers a full suite of banking products and services to individual, small business and commercial clients. With roots dating back to 1863, First Financial has cultivated a strong community banking heritage, combining personalized service with modern financial solutions.

The company's core business activities include commercial and consumer lending, deposit products, treasury management, mortgage origination and servicing, and wealth management.

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