Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Cuts Stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 29.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,352 shares of the bank's stock after selling 7,590 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.16% of First Financial worth $848,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dean Investment Associates LLC bought a new position in First Financial in the third quarter valued at $2,856,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 purchasing an additional 22,287 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial by 62.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,643,000 after buying an additional 14,349 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in First Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $605,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in First Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $582,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.74% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at First Financial

In other news, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on THFF. Raymond James raised shares of First Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, 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 research note on Monday, February 24th.

First Financial Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of First Financial stock traded down $1.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $43.87. 96,029 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 51,659. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market cap of $519.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.97 and a beta of 0.41. First Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $34.58 and a 1 year high of $53.60. The stock's fifty day moving average is $50.03 and its 200 day moving average is $47.46.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 research analysts expect that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.65%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.00%.

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.