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

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, March 21st, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given 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 4.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st.

First Financial has raised its dividend by an average of 20.6% per year over the last three years. First Financial has a dividend payout ratio of 35.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. 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 Price Performance

Shares of First Financial stock traded down $0.26 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $50.47. 19,029 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 70,524. 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 capitalization of $598.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.49. First Financial has a 52-week low of $34.58 and a 52-week high of $53.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.15.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625 over the last quarter. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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