First Financial Co. Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.51 (NASDAQ:THFF)

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, March 21st, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.51 per share by the bank on Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st.

First Financial has increased its dividend payment by an average of 20.6% annually over the last three years. First Financial has a dividend payout ratio of 35.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect First Financial to earn $5.94 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 34.3%.

First Financial Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ THFF traded down $0.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $49.56. The company had a trading volume of 91,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,268. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $587.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $49.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.02. First Financial has a 12-month low of $34.58 and a 12-month high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts expect that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In related news, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. The trade was a 11.82 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

THFF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Raymond James raised shares of First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

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.