Intech Investment Management LLC Makes New Investment in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 6,157 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $284,000. Intech Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of First Financial as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. First Financial Corp IN lifted its holdings in First Financial by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 761,654 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $35,181,000 after purchasing an additional 8,237 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Financial by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 273,544 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $11,997,000 after buying an additional 4,743 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in First Financial by 10.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,100,000 after acquiring an additional 22,287 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in First Financial by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 97,608 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,280,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares during the period. Finally, Dean Investment Associates LLC acquired a new position in First Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,856,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $49.95 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $49.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $592.06 million, a PE ratio of 12.49 and a beta of 0.49. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $34.58 and a 12 month high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.00%.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

THFF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James raised First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, 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 report on Monday, February 24th.

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.