Murray Hamilton Edwards Purchases 500 Shares of First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN) Stock

First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN) Director Murray Hamilton Edwards purchased 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $34.18 per share, with a total value of $17,090.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 42,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,457,230.12. This represents a 1.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

First Financial Bankshares Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of FFIN stock traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $34.77. 386,412 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 858,245. The firm has a market cap of $4.98 billion, a PE ratio of 19.64 and a beta of 0.86. The company’s 50 day moving average is $31.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.12. First Financial Bankshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.43 and a 1 year high of $38.74.

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

First Financial Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. First Financial Bankshares’s payout ratio is presently 42.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial Bankshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 10.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 64,287 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,309,000 after buying an additional 6,290 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in First Financial Bankshares by 51.3% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 118,437 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,228,000 after purchasing an additional 40,173 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 77,474 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,783,000 after acquiring an additional 3,382 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial Bankshares during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,760,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in First Financial Bankshares by 17.6% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 396,513 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $14,243,000 after buying an additional 59,416 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on FFIN shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on First Financial Bankshares from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of First Financial Bankshares in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Hovde Group upgraded shares of First Financial Bankshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $39.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.00.

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.