First Financial Bankshares, Inc. $FFIN Shares Sold by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC decreased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN) by 37.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 92,808 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 55,000 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in First Financial Bankshares were worth $2,733,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 112,380 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,309,000 after purchasing an additional 42,138 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in First Financial Bankshares by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,760,965 shares of the bank’s stock worth $81,309,000 after purchasing an additional 45,052 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in First Financial Bankshares by 83.5% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in First Financial Bankshares by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 240,900 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 0.7% in the first quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 236,597 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,968,000 after buying an additional 1,761 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FFIN. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of First Financial Bankshares in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $39.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded First Financial Bankshares from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target (up from $34.00) on shares of First Financial Bankshares in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.75.

First Financial Bankshares Stock Performance

FFIN opened at $34.67 on Monday. First Financial Bankshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.11 and a 12-month high of $38.12. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $34.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54 and a beta of 0.81.

First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.50. The business had revenue of $172.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.03 million. First Financial Bankshares had a net margin of 31.03% and a return on equity of 14.00%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that First Financial Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Monday, September 14th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 14th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. First Financial Bankshares’s payout ratio is currently 47.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Murray Hamilton Edwards purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.18 per share, with a total value of $33,180.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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.