First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director Mark Jason Sr Blade, Sr. Purchases 463 Shares

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) Director Mark Jason Sr Blade, Sr. purchased 463 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $42.60 per share, for a total transaction of $19,723.80. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,864 shares of the company's stock, valued at $122,006.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

First Financial Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ THFF traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $42.98. 55,159 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 44,655. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $507.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.47. First Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $34.50 and a twelve month high of $47.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.46.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $82.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.95 million. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.25% and a net margin of 14.86%. As a group, equities analysts expect that First Financial Co. will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.19%. First Financial's payout ratio is presently 48.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Creative Planning grew its stake in First Financial by 57.1% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,665 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,090,000 after purchasing an additional 17,322 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 29.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,599 shares of the bank's stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,501 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 23.0% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,409 shares of the bank's stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 2,323 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 9.2% in the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 14,106 shares of the bank's stock valued at $520,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 13.6% in the second quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 32,217 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,188,000 after purchasing an additional 3,855 shares in the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.