Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust Decreases Stock Holdings in First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN)

Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust reduced its position in First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN - Free Report) by 28.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 131,826 shares of the bank's stock after selling 53,227 shares during the period. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust owned 0.09% of First Financial Bankshares worth $4,752,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in First Financial Bankshares by 83.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 289,468 shares of the bank's stock worth $10,714,000 after purchasing an additional 131,259 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 39.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 461,726 shares of the bank's stock valued at $17,088,000 after purchasing an additional 131,063 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in First Financial Bankshares in the 4th quarter worth $603,000. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in First Financial Bankshares by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 12,665 shares of the bank's stock worth $457,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in First Financial Bankshares by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 36,788 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,362,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares in the last quarter. 69.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on FFIN shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of First Financial Bankshares from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Hovde Group reduced their target price on shares of First Financial Bankshares from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st.

Insider Activity at First Financial Bankshares

In other First Financial Bankshares news, Director Johnny Trotter purchased 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $35.12 per share, for a total transaction of $210,720.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 949,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,341,909.52. The trade was a 0.64 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 7,099 shares of company stock worth $247,751. Insiders own 4.22% of the company's stock.

First Financial Bankshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FFIN traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $33.77. 548,023 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 544,001. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.65 and a beta of 0.82. First Financial Bankshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.62 and a twelve month high of $44.66.

First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The bank reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.43. First Financial Bankshares had a net margin of 29.69% and a return on equity of 14.24%. The firm had revenue of $149.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.48 million. On average, research analysts expect that First Financial Bankshares, Inc. will post 1.78 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Bankshares Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This is an increase from First Financial Bankshares's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. First Financial Bankshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.91%.

First Financial Bankshares Company Profile

First Financial Bankshares, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides commercial banking products and services in Texas. The company offers checking, savings and time deposits; automated teller machines, drive-in, and night deposit services; safe deposit facilities, remote deposit capture, internet banking, mobile banking, payroll cards, funds transfer, and performing other customary commercial banking services; securities brokerage services; and trust and wealth management services, including wealth management, estates administration, oil and gas management, testamentary trusts, revocable and irrevocable trusts, and agency accounts.