Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 6,755 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 682,146 shares of the bank's stock after selling 6,755 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 5.78% of First Financial worth $31,508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of THFF. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in First Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in First Financial by 420.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank's stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Financial Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of THFF traded up $0.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $44.31. The company had a trading volume of 65,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 53,160. First Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $34.61 and a 52 week high of $53.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $525.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.39.

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

First Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Financial news, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625 in the last three months. Insiders own 5.01% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Raymond James upgraded First Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 price objective (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

First Financial 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.