First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Up 123.8% in March

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 151,300 shares, a growth of 123.8% from the March 15th total of 67,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 73,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

First Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $43.90 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $520.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.98 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.37. First Financial has a 12 month low of $34.61 and a 12 month high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First Financial will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.65%. First Financial’s payout ratio is 51.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625. 5.01% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in First Financial during the fourth quarter worth $73,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial by 420.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock worth $172,000 after acquiring an additional 3,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

About First Financial

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.