Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Boosts First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Price Target to $45.00

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $43.00 to $45.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “market perform” rating on the bank’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target points to a potential upside of 0.07% from the company’s previous close.

First Financial Stock Up 1.6 %

THFF traded up $0.72 on Thursday, hitting $44.97. 1,649 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 46,546. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $37.88 and its 200-day moving average is $37.95. First Financial has a 12 month low of $31.74 and a 12 month high of $46.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $531.10 million, a PE ratio of 9.43 and a beta of 0.48.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The bank reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.96. First Financial had a net margin of 18.22% and a return on equity of 10.07%. The firm had revenue of $70.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $51.95 million. Equities research analysts predict that First Financial will post 4.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of First Financial by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 703,304 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,264,000 after purchasing an additional 38,360 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the first quarter valued at about $665,000. CM Management LLC bought a new stake in First Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $537,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in First Financial by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 125,553 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,811,000 after purchasing an additional 13,278 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $528,000. Institutional investors 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.