Insider Buying: First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Insider Acquires 1,100 Shares of Stock

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

First Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ THFF opened at $51.97 on Friday. 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 $613.77 million, a P/E ratio of 12.99 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $47.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.72. First Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $34.58 and a 1-year high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. As a group, analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. This is a positive change from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in 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 during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its position 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 worth $1,745,000 after buying an additional 17,782 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,381 shares of the bank’s stock worth $942,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in First Financial by 121.7% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,798 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $685,000 after acquiring an additional 8,124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in First Financial by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 9,282 shares of the bank’s stock worth $429,000 after acquiring an additional 1,196 shares during the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

THFF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price target (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James raised First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

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.