Intech Investment Management LLC Buys New Holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 6,157 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $284,000. Intech Investment Management LLC owned about 0.05% of First Financial as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of THFF. Dean Investment Associates LLC purchased a new stake in First Financial during the third quarter worth about $2,856,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of First Financial by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank's stock valued at $10,100,000 after acquiring an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 62.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,643,000 after purchasing an additional 14,349 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $605,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $582,000. 72.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Financial Stock Performance

THFF stock traded down $1.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $49.09. 34,852 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 51,014. The firm has a market capitalization of $581.86 million, a PE ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $50.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.36. First Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $34.58 and a 52 week high of $53.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

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First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.16%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

THFF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Raymond James raised shares of 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.

Insider Transactions at First Financial

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 90 days, insiders acquired 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625. 3.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.