First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Down 18.1% in January

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 48,100 shares, a decline of 18.1% from the January 15th total of 58,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 55,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days. Currently, 0.4% of the company's stock are short sold.

First Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:THFF traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.66. The stock had a trading volume of 33,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 53,216. 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 simple moving average of $48.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.86. First Financial has a twelve month low of $34.58 and a twelve month high of $53.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $610.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 0.51.

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

First Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.95%. This is a boost from First Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. First Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on THFF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 price objective (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James raised 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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 1,196 shares of company stock worth $62,696. Corporate insiders own 4.06% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Martingale Asset Management L P raised its stake in First Financial by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 46,048 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in First Financial by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the bank's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in First Financial by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the bank's stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 57,630 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,527,000 after acquiring an additional 555 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.74% of the company's stock.

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.