Short Interest in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Drops By 16.4%

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 52,100 shares, a drop of 16.4% from the December 31st total of 62,300 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 50,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of THFF stock traded up $1.96 on Tuesday, hitting $50.00. 52,686 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 47,646. The company's fifty day moving average is $47.43 and its 200 day moving average is $45.28. First Financial has a 1-year low of $34.58 and a 1-year high of $51.87. The company has a market capitalization of $590.50 million, a PE ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a net margin of 14.86% and a return on equity of 8.10%. On average, equities research analysts predict that First Financial will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a $0.51 dividend. This is an increase from First Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.08%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $205,000. Legato Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in First Financial by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 26,447 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in First Financial by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,142 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,224,000 after purchasing an additional 2,288 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,580 shares of the bank's stock valued at $673,000 after buying an additional 2,171 shares during the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Raymond James upgraded shares of First Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th.

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.