Quantbot Technologies LP Invests $39,000 in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 852 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $39,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 97,608 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,280,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in First Financial by 420.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new position in First Financial during the third quarter worth $230,000. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in First Financial by 18.6% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 13,704 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $601,000 after buying an additional 2,154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dean Investment Associates LLC bought a new position in First Financial during the third quarter valued at about $2,856,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $48.64 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $50.11 and its 200-day moving average is $47.44. 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 company has a market capitalization of $576.53 million, a PE ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.49.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts predict that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on THFF shares. Raymond James upgraded First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note 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 objective for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In other news, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.