First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 48,100 shares, a drop of 18.1% from the January 15th total of 58,700 shares. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 55,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days.

First Financial Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of THFF opened at $51.97 on Friday. First Financial has a fifty-two week low of $34.58 and a fifty-two week high of $53.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company’s fifty day moving average is $47.92 and its 200 day moving average is $45.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $613.77 million, a PE ratio of 12.99 and a beta of 0.51.

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

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. This is an increase from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial’s payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on THFF shares. Raymond James upgraded shares of 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. 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 note on Thursday, February 6th.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In related news, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was 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 $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 1,196 shares of company stock valued at $62,696. 3.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $3,855,000. Dean Investment Associates LLC purchased a new stake in First Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,856,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in First Financial by 10.7% in 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 during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of First Financial by 9.2% during the fourth 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. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its stake in shares of First Financial by 88.9% during the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 37,787 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,745,000 after buying an additional 17,782 shares during the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.