First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• First Financial Bankshares has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with five brokerages covering the stock and an average 12-month price target of $36.75.
• The company recently reported quarterly EPS of $0.50, matching analyst expectations, while revenue came in just below estimates at $172.76 million.
• First Financial Bankshares also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share, lifting the annualized payout to $0.88 and the dividend yield to about 2.5%.

Shares of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.75.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on FFIN shares. Benchmark started coverage on shares of First Financial Bankshares in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $39.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of 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 reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of First Financial Bankshares in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $35.00 target price (up from $34.00) on shares of First Financial Bankshares in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Activity

In other First Financial Bankshares news, Director Murray Hamilton Edwards acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.18 per share, for a total transaction of $33,180.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 44,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,480,956.12. This trade represents a 2.29% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of First Financial Bankshares

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FFIN. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in First Financial Bankshares by 38.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,909 shares of the bank's stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 1,375 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial Bankshares during the second quarter worth approximately $87,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 8.4% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,824 shares of the bank's stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial Bankshares in the first quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, S&A Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First Financial Bankshares in the first quarter valued at approximately $352,000. Institutional investors own 69.78% of the company's stock.

First Financial Bankshares Stock Performance

Shares of FFIN stock opened at $35.32 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $33.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.15. First Financial Bankshares has a twelve month low of $28.11 and a twelve month high of $38.74. The company has a market capitalization of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89 and a beta of 0.81.

First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50. First Financial Bankshares had a return on equity of 14.18% and a net margin of 31.03%.The firm had revenue of $172.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $173.03 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that First Financial Bankshares will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bankshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from First Financial Bankshares's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 12th. First Financial Bankshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.83%.

About First Financial Bankshares

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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