Entropy Technologies LP Increases Holdings in First Financial Bankshares, Inc. $FFIN

Entropy Technologies LP raised its stake in shares of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN) by 172.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,764 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 37,790 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in First Financial Bankshares were worth $1,785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in FFIN. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in First Financial Bankshares by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 64,287 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,309,000 after buying an additional 6,290 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in First Financial Bankshares by 51.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 118,437 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,228,000 after buying an additional 40,173 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in First Financial Bankshares by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 77,474 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,783,000 after buying an additional 3,382 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in First Financial Bankshares during the 1st quarter valued at $1,760,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake 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 during the last quarter. 69.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on FFIN shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of First Financial Bankshares in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of First Financial Bankshares from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.33.

First Financial Bankshares Stock Performance

Shares of First Financial Bankshares stock opened at $33.35 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.13 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $32.05 and a 200 day moving average of $31.63. First Financial Bankshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.11 and a fifty-two week high of $38.74.

First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 17th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $166.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.78 million. First Financial Bankshares had a net margin of 31.00% and a return on equity of 14.20%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. Analysts forecast that First Financial Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Bankshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. This is an increase from First Financial Bankshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. First Financial Bankshares’s payout ratio is currently 47.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Murray Hamilton Edwards bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $33.18 per share, with a total value of $33,180.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 44,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,480,956.12. This represents a 2.29% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate 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.