Hsbc Holdings PLC Raises Stock Holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 121.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,798 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 8,124 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in First Financial were worth $685,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its position in shares of First Financial by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 46,048 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in First Financial by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the bank’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of First Financial by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 26,447 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,222,000 after buying an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of First Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday.

First Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ THFF opened at $50.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $600.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $47.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.90. First Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $34.61 and a 1-year high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.04 million. Analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.02%. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 2,837 shares of company stock valued at $142,701. 3.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

First Financial 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.