Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys New Shares in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 13,109 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $605,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of First Financial as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of First Financial by 420.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank's stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new position in First Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $230,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In other news, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 9,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625 over the last quarter. 3.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report 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 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

First Financial Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of First Financial stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $42.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 66,616 shares, compared to its average volume of 52,609. The stock has a market cap of $506.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. First Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $34.61 and a twelve month high of $53.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $49.38 and a 200-day moving average of $47.39.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.78%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.00%.

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.