Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Cuts Stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,528 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in First Financial were worth $348,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in First Financial by 10.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,100,000 after buying an additional 22,287 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of First Financial by 62.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,349 shares in the last quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC purchased a new position in First Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,856,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in First Financial by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 273,544 shares of the bank’s stock worth $11,997,000 after acquiring an additional 4,743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in First Financial by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,580 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $673,000 after acquiring an additional 2,171 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ THFF opened at $52.25 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $616.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 0.51. First Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $34.58 and a 1-year high of $53.60. 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 fifty day moving average price is $48.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.53.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.90%. This is a positive change from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. First Financial’s payout ratio is 51.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In related news, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 1,196 shares of company stock valued at $62,696. Insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on THFF. Raymond James raised First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 target price (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

First Financial 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.