First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Up 23.0% in February

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 55,600 shares, a growth of 23.0% from the February 13th total of 45,200 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 55,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625. Corporate insiders own 3.69% of the company's stock.

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Institutional Trading of First Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $73,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 420.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank's stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.74% of the company's stock.

First Financial Trading Down 1.4 %

NASDAQ:THFF traded down $0.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $49.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 827,199 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,027. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $584.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.08. First Financial has a 1 year low of $34.58 and a 1 year high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts expect that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The business 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.13%. First Financial's payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

First Financial Company 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.