First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director Purchases $48,990.00 in Stock

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. The trade was a 11.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

First Financial Stock Performance

First Financial stock opened at $49.08 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $48.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.82. The company has a market capitalization of $581.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 0.49. First Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $34.58 and a fifty-two week high of $53.60.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. On average, analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.16%. This is an increase from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial’s payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on THFF. Raymond James raised First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Martingale Asset Management L P grew its position in shares of First Financial by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 46,048 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of First Financial by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of First Financial by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC grew its position in shares of First Financial by 1.0% in the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 57,630 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,527,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the period. 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.