KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires New Stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 15,300 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $707,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in THFF. First Financial Corp IN increased 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 worth $35,181,000 after acquiring an additional 8,237 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in First Financial by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 273,544 shares of the bank’s stock worth $11,997,000 after purchasing an additional 4,743 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,874,000 after purchasing an additional 19,867 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of First Financial by 10.7% in the third 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 period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of First Financial by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 97,608 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,280,000 after buying an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on THFF shares. Raymond James upgraded 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 research note on Thursday, December 19th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded 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. 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 report on Thursday, February 6th.

Insider Transactions at First Financial

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % 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. Insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ THFF opened at $48.64 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.44. 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 1 year low of $34.58 and a 1 year high of $53.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $576.53 million, a PE ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.49.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.00%.

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.