First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.45

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, June 24th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.45 per share by the bank on Monday, July 15th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 1st.

First Financial has raised its dividend payment by an average of 13.7% per year over the last three years. First Financial has a dividend payout ratio of 34.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect First Financial to earn $5.12 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 35.2%.

First Financial Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $36.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $435.55 million, a PE ratio of 7.86 and a beta of 0.50. First Financial has a 52 week low of $31.74 and a 52 week high of $44.91. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.30.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $48.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $49.75 million. First Financial had a net margin of 20.16% and a return on equity of 11.04%. As a group, research analysts expect that First Financial will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective (down previously from $45.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st.

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.