Short Interest in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Drops By 18.1%

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 48,100 shares, a decrease of 18.1% from the January 15th total of 58,700 shares. Currently, 0.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 55,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In related news, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the purchase, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 1,196 shares of company stock valued at $62,696. 3.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of First Financial by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 135,224 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,246,000 after buying an additional 1,386 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its stake in First Financial by 88.9% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 37,787 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,745,000 after acquiring an additional 17,782 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in First Financial by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,381 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $942,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of First Financial by 121.7% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,798 shares of the bank’s stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 8,124 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 9,282 shares of the bank’s stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 1,196 shares in the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on THFF. Raymond James raised 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 report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 target price (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

First Financial Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $51.97 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $613.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99 and a beta of 0.51. First Financial has a 52-week low of $34.58 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.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. Analysts expect that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. This is a positive change from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 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.