First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN) Stock Rating Upgraded by Benchmark

First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN) was upgraded by equities researchers at Benchmark to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on FFIN. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of First Financial Bankshares from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings restated 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 Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.75.

First Financial Bankshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FFIN opened at $34.94 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $32.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.74. The company has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99 and a beta of 0.83. First Financial Bankshares has a 1 year low of $28.11 and a 1 year high of $38.74.

First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 17th. The bank reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.03. First Financial Bankshares had a return on equity of 14.20% and a net margin of 31.00%.The business had revenue of $166.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that First Financial Bankshares will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Financial Bankshares news, Director Murray Hamilton Edwards purchased 1,000 shares of First Financial Bankshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $33.18 per share, for a total transaction of $33,180.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 44,634 shares in the company, valued at $1,480,956.12. This trade represents a 2.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FFIN. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial Bankshares in the first quarter valued at about $208,000. S&A Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Financial Bankshares during the first quarter worth about $352,000. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 83.5% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the bank’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in First Financial Bankshares in the 1st quarter valued at about $210,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in First Financial Bankshares by 48.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,164 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 1,031 shares during the period. 69.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.