Phocas Financial Corp. Acquires Shares of 117,686 First Financial Bankshares, Inc. $FFIN

Phocas Financial Corp. bought a new position in shares of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 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.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in First Financial Bankshares by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 31,638 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of First Financial Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at $253,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 3,204.2% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 417,192 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $12,462,000 after purchasing an additional 404,566 shares during the period. 69.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Financial Bankshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FFIN opened at $29.98 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.67. First Financial Bankshares, Inc. 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 results on Friday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $164.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that First Financial Bankshares, Inc. will post 1.78 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Bankshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. First Financial Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio is 42.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of First Financial Bankshares in a report on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Financial Bankshares news, Director Murray Hamilton Edwards acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $29.32 per share, with a total value of $29,320.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 43,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,279,348.88. This trade represents a 2.35% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Johnny Trotter bought 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $30.02 per share, for a total transaction of $120,080.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 955,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,682,428.88. This represents a 0.42% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 21,629 shares of company stock valued at $681,060 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.80% of the company’s stock.

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.