First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Update

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 67,600 shares, an increase of 21.6% from the February 28th total of 55,600 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 68,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at First Financial

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625 in the last three months. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of First Financial by 420.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $205,000. 72.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Financial Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $48.27. The company had a trading volume of 17,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,929. The stock has a market capitalization of $572.09 million, a P/E ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $50.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. First Financial has a one year low of $34.58 and a one year high of $53.60.

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

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.23%. First Financial’s payout ratio is 51.00%.

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.