First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Down 16.4% in December

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 52,100 shares, a decline of 16.4% from the December 15th total of 62,300 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 50,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, 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 note on Thursday, December 19th.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of THFF. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. FMR LLC increased its position in First Financial by 420.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank's stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in First Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in First Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $279,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in First Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $279,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Financial Price Performance

Shares of THFF traded down $0.34 on Thursday, reaching $46.16. The stock had a trading volume of 33,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 40,939. First Financial has a twelve month low of $34.58 and a twelve month high of $51.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $545.09 million, a PE ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $47.95 and a 200 day moving average of $44.47. 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 (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.17). First Financial had a net margin of 14.86% and a return on equity of 8.10%. The firm had revenue of $82.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.95 million. Sell-side analysts expect that First Financial will post 3.92 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. This is an increase from First Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial's dividend payout ratio is 55.28%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.