February 8, 2024
Top 10 Stock First Financial Bankshares Strong Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: First Financial Bankshares – Top 10 Stock in S&P Mid-Cap Index
First Financial Bankshares is listed as a top 10 stock on February 08, 2024 in the market index S&P MIDCAP because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Three consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. Only the Value Rank is below average. The investment rationale may be an investment in future growth, supported by professional market opinion. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 90 (top 90% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for First Financial Bankshares on February 08, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Regional Banks |
| Index | NASDAQ, S&P MIDCAP |
| Size class | XX-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View First Financial Bankshares Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | February 8, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 1 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 79 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 77 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 100 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 90 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 90 (better than 90% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock First Financial Bankshares are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all but one indicator above average for First Financial Bankshares. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 79, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth, as well as stock returns. This means that growth is higher than for 79% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Safety Rank at 77 means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 77% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. Finally, the consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 100, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 100% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank is less desirable at 1, meaning that the share price of First Financial Bankshares is on the higher side compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 99% of alternative stocks in the same industry. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 90, First Financial Bankshares is better positioned than 90% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as above-average growth (Growth Rank of 79), a safe financing structure (Safety Rank of 77), and positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 100), it is a solid stock investment where growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale, also reflected by institutional investors. It is typical for growth companies to have low value, as is the case here. Investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much more do you pay for the stock of First Financial Bankshares compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The growth rank measures the growth momentum of the company (79% better than peers). The value rank could be the reverse reflection of that (21%). A Value Rank below that level may be assessed as expensive, a rank above that is still good value. Sometimes market sentiment just reflects the past, sometimes the reality. You pay more than the market average for this stock, but it may be worth it. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for First Financial Bankshares very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock First Financial Bankshares is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for First Financial Bankshares. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 36 (worse than 64% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 97, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in First Financial Bankshares. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 100, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 100% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 82, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 82% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 100 (more positive than 100% compared with investment alternatives), First Financial Bankshares has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more
Value Strategy: First Financial Bankshares Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with alternatives), First Financial Bankshares shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for First Financial Bankshares. Price-to-Sales is 1 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 99% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning First Financial Bankshares's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 1, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of First Financial Bankshares. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 1 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 78% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation based on First Financial Bankshares's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for First Financial Bankshares? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as First Financial Bankshares? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. First Financial Bankshares may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. ...read more
Growth Strategy: First Financial Bankshares Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 79 (better than 79% compared with alternatives) for 2024, First Financial Bankshares shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for First Financial Bankshares. Sales Growth has a value of 54 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 54% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a value of 78 and Capital Growth with a rank of 81 means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow both profits and invested capital more than of its competitors. But Stock Returns has only a rank of 45, which means that stock returns have recently been below 55% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 79, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. First Financial Bankshares has only one below-average growth indicator, the stock returns. This is probably the least reliable growth indicator, because it measures company and investor expectations at the same time. The three other growth indicators, which are all positive for First Financial Bankshares, are more reliable measures of growth momentum. For this reason, the company seems to be on a good trajectory, unless you think the current period is not representative, because of unique events that will not be repeated in the future. ...read more
Safety Strategy: First Financial Bankshares Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | February 8, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 68 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 24 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 97 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 77 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 77 (better than 77% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company First Financial Bankshares has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of First Financial Bankshares is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for First Financial Bankshares. Leverage is at a rank of 68, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 68% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 97, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 97% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 24, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 76% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 77 (better than 77% compared with alternatives), First Financial Bankshares has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for First Financial Bankshares. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: First Financial Bankshares Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | February 8, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 1 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 79 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 97 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 64 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 64 (better than 64% compared with investment alternatives), First Financial Bankshares (Regional Banks, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of First Financial Bankshares are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 1 (worse than 99% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 79) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 77, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 64, is a buy recommendation based on First Financial Bankshares's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company First Financial Bankshares exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 1), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 79). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 77) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). ...read more
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