First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Update

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 67,600 shares, an increase of 21.6% from the February 28th total of 55,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 68,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s shares are sold short.

First Financial Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of First Financial stock opened at $48.85 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $579.02 million, a P/E ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.49. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $50.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.45. First Financial has a 1 year low of $34.58 and a 1 year high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.18%. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 bought 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 acquisition, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625 over the last three months. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in First Financial by 62.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,349 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in First Financial by 73.1% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 11,009 shares of the bank’s stock worth $509,000 after acquiring an additional 4,650 shares during the last quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,856,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,580 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $673,000 after purchasing an additional 2,171 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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