James O. Mcdonald Purchases 1,000 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Stock

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. The trade was a 11.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

First Financial Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of THFF stock opened at $49.08 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $48.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.82. First Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $34.58 and a twelve month high of $53.60. The company has a market capitalization of $581.75 million, a P/E ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. Equities analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a $0.51 dividend. This is an increase from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.16%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on THFF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price target (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. 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.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of THFF. Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,855,000. Dean Investment Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,856,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 231.4% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 86,972 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,017,000 after buying an additional 60,732 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,100,000 after buying an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,874,000 after buying an additional 19,867 shares during the period. 72.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.