First Financial Bankshares rises 2.3% after third-quarter results match estimates

What happened

First Financial Bankshares (FFIN) rose 2.3% on October 15, 2026, because its third-quarter earnings per share of $0.52 matched the Zacks Consensus Estimate and third-quarter net income improved year over year. The stock closed at $31.59 after opening 0.5% above the previous close, with trading volume 0.9 times its 20-day average. Zacks Investment Research and PRNewsWire reported the quarter, which showed third-quarter net income of $74.31 million versus $52.27 million a year earlier.

How big was the move

The one-day rise was 2.3 times a typical daily move for this stock and the gain outperformed the Financial Services sector median by 1.2 percentage points. The Financial Services sector median rose 1.1% on the day while the S&P 500 rose 0.3%. Over five sessions the S&P 500 fell 0.3% and the stock rose 0.5%. Market sensitivity for the stock is a beta of 0.77, indicating it tends to move less than the market. In the past five years the stock had 125 sessions with a gain of at least 2.3%; twenty trading days later the median result was a decline of 2.1% and 51 of 125 were higher.

The technical picture

The stock traded 0.6% below its 20-day moving average, 4.3% below its 50-day moving average and 3.0% below its 200-day moving average. The 50-day average is above the 200-day average, a sign of an established uptrend. The Relative Strength Index (14 days) was 44, in a neutral range between 30 and 70, and the stock was 13.5% below the 52-week high. Over one month the stock fell 5.2%, over three months it fell 10.6% and over one year it fell 6.2%, leaving it 22.8 percentage points behind the S&P 500. Volatility was 16% annualized over 60 days, the lowest reading of the past five years, suggesting relatively subdued trading activity in recent weeks.

Fundamentals and valuation

For the four quarters through June 30, 2026, revenue was $863.3 million, up 10.5% from a year earlier, compared with revenue growth of 11.9% in the prior quarter. Diluted earnings per share for that period were $1.87, with earnings per share growth from a year earlier of 8.7%. Gross margin widened to 73.1% from 72.7% a year earlier, while operating margin eased to 38.0% from 38.4% a year earlier. Free-cash-flow margin was 37.3% and return on invested capital was 12.5%. The balance sheet showed net cash of $209.3 million, and share count over one year increased by 0.9%.

On valuation, the stock traded at 16.9 times trailing earnings, the lowest reading of the past five years against a five-year median of 22.0 times earnings. Price to forward earnings was 15.4 times expected earnings and free-cash-flow yield was 7.3%. That combination of a lower-than-usual price-to-earnings multiple and a strong free-cash-flow margin points to a relatively discounted valuation versus the company’s recent history, even as growth metrics are muted.

Earnings and analyst expectations

First Financial Bankshares reported on October 15, 2026, earnings per share of $0.52 for the quarter, matching the Zacks Consensus Estimate and compared with $0.36 per share a year ago. The company reported third-quarter 2026 net income of $74.31 million, up from $52.27 million a year earlier and slightly above the $71.89 million recorded in the prior quarter. The company had zero consecutive quarters beating estimates; the average surprise over the last four reports was 2.8% above estimates. Typical two-day reaction after recent reports was that the stock rose 0.4%.

Sixteen analysts cover the stock and the consensus rating is Hold. The consensus price target is $35.33, which is 11.8% above the closing price. No analysts rated the stock Buy. The next report is scheduled for October 22, 2026.

What to watch

• October 22, 2026: next earnings report date.
• Consensus price target of $35.33, 11.8% above the closing price.
• Free-cash-flow yield of 7.3% and price to trailing earnings of 16.9 times, the lowest reading of the past five years.
• PromtFinance scores: Quality 92 (Exceptional), Growth 38 (Weak), Revisions 9 (Very weak).