Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 15,298 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp decreased its position in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 16.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,441 shares of the bank's stock after selling 15,298 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.66% of First Financial worth $3,577,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of THFF. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in First Financial by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 45,854 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,990,000 after purchasing an additional 2,278 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in First Financial by 23.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 8,704 shares of the bank's stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 1,661 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its stake in First Financial by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 45,235 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,984,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in First Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $279,000. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC boosted its stake in First Financial by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 57,630 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,527,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.74% of the company's stock.

First Financial Stock Performance

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

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First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. On average, analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial's payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on THFF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 target price (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of 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. Finally, Raymond James upgraded shares of First Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought 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. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625. 3.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.