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 morning.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

First Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $49.40 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $585.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. First Financial has a 12 month low of $34.61 and a 12 month high of $53.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $47.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.72.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.04 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Financial will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.13%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s payout ratio is 44.16%.

Insider Activity

In other First Financial news, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 2,837 shares of company stock worth $142,701 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Financial Corp IN increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 761,654 shares of the bank’s stock worth $35,181,000 after acquiring an additional 8,237 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 275,748 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $12,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,204 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in First Financial by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,874,000 after purchasing an additional 19,867 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in First Financial by 10.7% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of First Financial by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 135,224 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,386 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

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.