First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $44.87, but opened at $43.91. First Financial shares last traded at $43.91, with a volume of 1,451 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on First Financial from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

First Financial Trading Down 3.1 %

The stock has a market cap of $502.28 million, a PE ratio of 9.84 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $43.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.02.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The bank reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.96. The business had revenue of $70.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.95 million. First Financial had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 18.22%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 3.85 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.23%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in First Financial by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 729,676 shares of the bank's stock worth $26,910,000 after acquiring an additional 4,662 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Financial by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 302,323 shares of the bank's stock valued at $11,150,000 after buying an additional 40,726 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in First Financial by 19.5% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 190,126 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,012,000 after buying an additional 30,986 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in First Financial by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 127,791 shares of the bank's stock worth $4,713,000 after buying an additional 7,828 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in First Financial by 11.8% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 125,553 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,811,000 after acquiring an additional 13,278 shares during the period. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.