Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires Shares of 8,858 First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,858 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $409,000. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.08% of First Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dean Investment Associates LLC bought a new stake in First Financial in the third quarter worth $2,856,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of First Financial by 10.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank's stock worth $10,100,000 after buying an additional 22,287 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Financial by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank's stock worth $10,874,000 after acquiring an additional 19,867 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $707,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of First Financial by 62.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,349 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.74% of the company's stock.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of THFF traded down $3.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $45.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,466 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,976. First Financial Co. has a one year low of $34.58 and a one year high of $53.60. The stock's 50-day moving average is $50.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $541.09 million, a PE ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Remove Ads

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

First Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.47%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Transactions at First Financial

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction 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 approximately $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625. 3.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

First Financial 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.