First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.26 EPS

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.26, Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $62.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.04 million. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%.

First Financial Stock Down 1.4 %

THFF traded down $0.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $47.31. 39,789 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 53,748. First Financial has a fifty-two week low of $34.61 and a fifty-two week high of $53.60. The company has a market cap of $560.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $48.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.57.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.31%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 price target (up 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 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the firm'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 $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 2,635 shares of company stock valued at $132,784 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.69% of the company's stock.

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.