First Financial Bankshares (FFIN) Competitors

First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ:FFIN) and United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, community ranking, valuation, institutional ownership, media sentiment, profitability and dividends.

Does the media prefer FFIN or UBSI?

In the previous week, United Bankshares had 1 more articles in the media than First Financial Bankshares. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for United Bankshares and 6 mentions for First Financial Bankshares. First Financial Bankshares' average media sentiment score of 1.70 beat United Bankshares' score of 1.27 indicating that First Financial Bankshares is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Financial Bankshares	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
United Bankshares	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has better earnings & valuation, FFIN or UBSI?

United Bankshares has higher revenue and earnings than First Financial Bankshares. United Bankshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Financial Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Financial Bankshares	$509.47M	11.39	$198.98M	$1.45	28.01
United Bankshares	$1.54B	3.64	$366.31M	$2.64	15.68

Which has more volatility & risk, FFIN or UBSI?

First Financial Bankshares has a beta of 0.78, meaning that its share price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, United Bankshares has a beta of 0.98, meaning that its share price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is FFIN or UBSI a better dividend stock?

First Financial Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. United Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. First Financial Bankshares pays out 49.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. United Bankshares pays out 56.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. First Financial Bankshares has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years and United Bankshares has increased its dividend for 25 consecutive years. United Bankshares is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in FFIN or UBSI?

69.8% of First Financial Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.8% of United Bankshares shares are held by institutional investors. 4.2% of First Financial Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of United Bankshares shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the MarketBeat Community believe in FFIN or UBSI?

First Financial Bankshares received 43 more outperform votes than United Bankshares when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 49.06% of users gave First Financial Bankshares an outperform vote while only 46.78% of users gave United Bankshares an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
First Financial Bankshares	Outperform Votes 312 49.06%	Underperform Votes 324 50.94%
United Bankshares	Outperform Votes 269 46.78%	Underperform Votes 306 53.22%

Is FFIN or UBSI more profitable?

First Financial Bankshares has a net margin of 28.76% compared to United Bankshares' net margin of 22.05%. First Financial Bankshares' return on equity of 13.43% beat United Bankshares' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Financial Bankshares	28.76%	13.43%	1.56%
United Bankshares	22.05%	7.58%	1.23%

Do analysts prefer FFIN or UBSI?

First Financial Bankshares currently has a consensus target price of $37.75, indicating a potential downside of 7.07%. United Bankshares has a consensus target price of $40.25, indicating a potential downside of 2.78%. Given United Bankshares' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe United Bankshares is more favorable than First Financial Bankshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Financial Bankshares	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
United Bankshares	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.25

Summary

United Bankshares beats First Financial Bankshares on 11 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.