First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday.

THFF has been the topic of a number of other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price target (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

First Financial Trading Up 4.0 %

NASDAQ THFF opened at $49.18 on Monday. First Financial has a 12 month low of $34.61 and a 12 month high of $53.60. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company has a market capitalization of $582.93 million, a PE ratio of 12.30 and a beta of 0.41.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. The company had revenue of $62.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $62.04 million. Research analysts forecast that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.16%.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. The trade was a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 2,635 shares of company stock valued at $132,784. 3.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in THFF. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 18.6% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in First Financial by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 273,544 shares of the bank’s stock worth $11,997,000 after acquiring an additional 4,743 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in First Financial by 62.1% in the third 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 during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. 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.