First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Receives “Market Perform” Rating from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated their market perform rating on shares of First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $55.00 price target on the bank’s stock, up from their prior price target of $52.00.

Separately, Raymond James raised shares of First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th.

First Financial Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of First Financial stock opened at $52.31 on Thursday. First Financial has a twelve month low of $34.58 and a twelve month high of $52.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $47.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.37. The firm has a market cap of $617.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.18 and a beta of 0.50.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.10% and a net margin of 14.86%. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Financial will post 3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This is an increase from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.90%. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 55.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in First Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $73,000. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of First Financial by 420.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 3,165 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new position in shares of First Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Company Profile

First Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides various financial services. The company offers non-interest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, savings, time, and other time deposits. It also provides commercial loans primarily to expand a business or finance asset purchases; residential real estate and residential real estate construction loans; and home equity loans and lines, secured loans, and cash/CD secured and unsecured loans.