First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director Purchases $48,990.00 in Stock

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

First Financial Stock Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ:THFF traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $48.31. 28,998 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 46,429. The stock has a market capitalization of $570.40 million, a PE ratio of 12.06 and a beta of 0.49. First Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $34.58 and a 12-month high of $53.60. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $48.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.78.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. On average, equities analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This is a boost from First Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.22%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter worth $3,855,000. Dean Investment Associates LLC acquired a new stake in First Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,856,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 231.4% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 86,972 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,017,000 after purchasing an additional 60,732 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in First Financial by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank's stock valued at $10,100,000 after purchasing an additional 22,287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Financial by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank's stock valued at $10,874,000 after purchasing an additional 19,867 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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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.

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