First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Hits New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $49.53 and last traded at $49.53, with a volume of 1341 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $43.93.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on First Financial from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

First Financial Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $43.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.69. The firm has a market cap of $573.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.17). First Financial had a return on equity of 8.25% and a net margin of 14.86%. The firm had revenue of $82.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.95 million. On average, analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 3.92 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.78%.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Country Trust Bank acquired a new position in First Financial during the second quarter valued at $111,000. Comerica Bank increased its holdings in shares of First Financial by 6,849.2% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 4,517 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $173,000 after purchasing an additional 4,452 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial in the first quarter worth approximately $175,000. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 102.3% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,098 shares of the bank’s stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 2,578 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 6.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,043 shares of the bank’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% 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.