First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Update

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 67,600 shares, a growth of 21.6% from the February 28th total of 55,600 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 68,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days.

First Financial Stock Performance

THFF stock opened at $45.06 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Financial has a 12-month low of $34.58 and a 12-month high of $53.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $534.10 million, a PE ratio of 11.27 and a beta of 0.49.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.53%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s payout ratio is presently 51.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded 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. Raymond James raised First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price target for the company 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 from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Insider Transactions at First Financial

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. The trade was a 11.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was acquired 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. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625 in the last three months. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in THFF. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in First Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth $205,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.