First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director Purchases $19,723.80 in Stock

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director Mark Jason Sr Blade, Sr. acquired 463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $42.60 per share, for a total transaction of $19,723.80. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,864 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $122,006.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

First Financial Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:THFF opened at $42.98 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $507.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.65 and a beta of 0.47. First Financial Co. has a one year low of $34.50 and a one year high of $47.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $43.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.52.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.17). First Financial had a net margin of 14.86% and a return on equity of 8.25%. The business had revenue of $82.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.95 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that First Financial Co. will post 4.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of First Financial from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Country Trust Bank bought a new stake in First Financial in the second quarter valued at about $111,000. Comerica Bank raised its position in shares of First Financial by 6,849.2% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 4,517 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $173,000 after acquiring an additional 4,452 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new position in First Financial during the first quarter worth $175,000. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in First Financial by 102.3% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,098 shares of the bank’s stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 2,578 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in First Financial by 6.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,043 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

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.