Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Boosts Holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 73.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,009 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,650 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.09% of First Financial worth $509,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth $73,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Financial by 420.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 3,165 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth $205,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $230,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

THFF has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James raised 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 report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th.

First Financial Price Performance

THFF stock opened at $49.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. First Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $34.58 and a 52 week high of $53.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $49.61 and its 200 day moving average is $47.08. The firm has a market cap of $584.95 million, a P/E ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 0.49.

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

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given 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 4.13%. First Financial’s payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares in the company, 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. Insiders bought 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

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.