Barclays PLC Has $1.64 Million Holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 62.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,457 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 14,349 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.32% of First Financial worth $1,643,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 3,165 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new position in First Financial in the third quarter worth $230,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Financial by 6.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,043 shares of the bank’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial in the third quarter valued at $279,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial in the third quarter valued at $279,000. Institutional investors own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of First Financial stock opened at $46.58 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.55. First Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $34.58 and a fifty-two week high of $51.87. The firm has a market cap of $550.02 million, a P/E ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.50.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $82.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.95 million. First Financial had a net margin of 14.86% and a return on equity of 8.10%. Sell-side analysts predict that First Financial Co. will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd will be given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.38%. This is a positive change from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Raymond James upgraded shares of First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

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.