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 research report released on Wednesday morning.

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

First Financial Trading Down 0.7%

First Financial stock opened at $53.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $628.10 million, a PE ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 0.41. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $48.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.40. First Financial has a 52 week low of $34.61 and a 52 week high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $62.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.04 million. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. Equities research analysts predict that First Financial will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors 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 3.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders have purchased a total of 1,708 shares of company stock worth $83,350 in the last quarter. 3.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in First Financial by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,874,000 after buying an additional 19,867 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in First Financial during the 4th quarter worth $582,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in First Financial by 73.1% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 11,009 shares of the bank’s stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 4,650 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $409,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in First Financial by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,580 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $673,000 after purchasing an additional 2,171 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.