First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Upgraded by Raymond James to "Outperform" Rating

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Raymond James from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $54.00 price target on the bank's stock. Raymond James' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 17.44% from the company's previous close.

First Financial Stock Performance

First Financial stock traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $45.98. 70,946 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 46,609. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Financial has a one year low of $34.58 and a one year high of $51.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $47.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.08. The company has a market cap of $542.93 million, a PE ratio of 12.46 and a beta of 0.50.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.17). First Financial had a net margin of 14.86% and a return on equity of 8.10%. The company had revenue of $82.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.95 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that First Financial will post 3.92 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of THFF. FMR LLC lifted its stake in First Financial by 420.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank's stock worth $172,000 after acquiring an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new position in First Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in First Financial by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,043 shares of the bank's stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $279,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of First Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $279,000. 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.