Barclays PLC Grows Stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 62.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,457 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 14,349 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.32% of First Financial worth $1,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of First Financial by 19.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 190,126 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,012,000 after purchasing an additional 30,986 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of First Financial by 57.1% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,665 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,090,000 after acquiring an additional 17,322 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Financial by 81.2% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 73,144 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,698,000 after acquiring an additional 32,783 shares in the last quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,856,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in First Financial by 2.0% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 102,269 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,772,000 after acquiring an additional 2,046 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.74% of the company's stock.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of THFF stock traded down $0.80 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $46.58. The stock had a trading volume of 24,691 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,414. First Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $34.58 and a fifty-two week high of $51.87. 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's 50-day simple moving average is $47.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.61. The firm has a market cap of $550.02 million, a PE ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.50.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $82.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $57.95 million. First Financial had a net margin of 14.86% and a return on equity of 8.10%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.38%. This is an increase from First Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Raymond James raised First Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company 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.