Short Interest in First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN) Decreases By 6.3%

First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,460,000 shares, a decline of 6.3% from the December 31st total of 7,960,000 shares. Approximately 5.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 492,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 15.2 days.

First Financial Bankshares Trading Up 0.4 %

First Financial Bankshares stock traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.35. 369,277 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 505,574. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.57. First Financial Bankshares has a 12-month low of $27.62 and a 12-month high of $44.66. The firm has a market cap of $5.48 billion, a PE ratio of 24.58 and a beta of 0.83.

First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.03. First Financial Bankshares had a net margin of 29.69% and a return on equity of 14.24%. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Financial Bankshares will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Bankshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. First Financial Bankshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on FFIN. Hovde Group upped their price target on First Financial Bankshares from $34.50 to $40.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of First Financial Bankshares from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of First Financial Bankshares from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO F Scott Dueser sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.73, for a total value of $1,018,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 471,004 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,183,992.92. This represents a 5.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael B. Denny sold 7,000 shares of First Financial Bankshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.12, for a total transaction of $287,840.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 101,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,156,615.20. This trade represents a 6.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 4.22% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 32.2% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,369 shares of the bank's stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 577 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of First Financial Bankshares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in First Financial Bankshares in the 2nd quarter valued at $118,000. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in First Financial Bankshares by 50.9% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,026 shares of the bank's stock worth $186,000 after purchasing an additional 1,696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bankshares by 50.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,422 shares of the bank's stock valued at $195,000 after buying an additional 1,819 shares during the period. 69.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Financial Bankshares Company Profile

First Financial Bankshares, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides commercial banking products and services in Texas. The company offers checking, savings and time deposits; automated teller machines, drive-in, and night deposit services; safe deposit facilities, remote deposit capture, internet banking, mobile banking, payroll cards, funds transfer, and performing other customary commercial banking services; securities brokerage services; and trust and wealth management services, including wealth management, estates administration, oil and gas management, testamentary trusts, revocable and irrevocable trusts, and agency accounts.