First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Up 23.0% in February

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 55,600 shares, an increase of 23.0% from the February 13th total of 45,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 55,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

First Financial Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $49.82 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Financial has a 52-week low of $34.58 and a 52-week high of $53.60. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.98. The company has a market capitalization of $590.52 million, a P/E ratio of 12.46 and a beta of 0.49.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that First Financial will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of First Financial by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,100,000 after purchasing an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of First Financial by 62.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,643,000 after buying an additional 14,349 shares in the last quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC acquired a new stake in First Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,856,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 273,544 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $11,997,000 after purchasing an additional 4,743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,580 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $673,000 after purchasing an additional 2,171 shares in the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.