Janney Montgomery Scott Upgrades First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) to Buy

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Janney Montgomery Scott from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $58.00 target price on the bank's stock. Janney Montgomery Scott's price target indicates a potential upside of 13.28% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on THFF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James raised shares of First Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

First Financial Stock Up 0.5 %

First Financial stock traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $51.20. The company had a trading volume of 38,422 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,072. First Financial has a fifty-two week low of $34.58 and a fifty-two week high of $53.60. 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 has a market capitalization of $604.57 million, a P/E ratio of 12.80 and a beta of 0.51. The firm's fifty day moving average is $48.25 and its 200-day moving average is $46.27.

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First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts forecast that First Financial will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were acquired 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders bought 1,196 shares of company stock valued at $62,696. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in First Financial by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 24,719 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,142,000 after acquiring an additional 1,989 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in shares of First Financial by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 34,399 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,589,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of First Financial by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 34,122 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,576,000 after purchasing an additional 5,079 shares during the period. Man Group plc raised its stake in shares of First Financial by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 47,994 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,217,000 after purchasing an additional 4,057 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in First Financial in the fourth quarter worth $261,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.