Bailard Inc. Buys 6,300 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Bailard Inc. boosted its position in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 90.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,303 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 6,300 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of First Financial worth $614,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of THFF. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Financial by 420.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank's stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $230,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on THFF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded shares of First Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

Remove Ads

First Financial Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of THFF traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $49.15. The stock had a trading volume of 46,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,647. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $34.58 and a 52 week high of $53.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $48.78 and a 200 day moving average of $46.67. The company has a market cap of $580.36 million, a P/E ratio of 12.29 and a beta of 0.49.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.15%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This is a boost from First Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial's dividend payout ratio is 51.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.69% 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.