First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Shares Acquired by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 235,412 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,867 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 1.99% of First Financial worth $10,874,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in THFF. Dean Investment Associates LLC purchased a new stake in First Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $2,856,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in First Financial by 10.7% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of First Financial by 62.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,643,000 after buying an additional 14,349 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $605,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $582,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $48.85 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $579.02 million, a P/E ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.49. First Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $34.58 and a 1-year high of $53.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $50.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.45.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. Sell-side analysts predict that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625 over the last three months. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th.

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.