Insider Buying: First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Insider Buys $57,783.00 in Stock

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

First Financial Trading Down 0.3 %

THFF opened at $51.97 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $613.77 million, a P/E ratio of 12.99 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $47.92 and its 200-day moving average is $45.72. First Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $34.58 and a 52-week high of $53.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

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 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 Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. This is a positive change from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on THFF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James upgraded shares of First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in THFF. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,855,000. Dean Investment Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the third quarter worth $2,856,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake 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 worth $10,100,000 after buying an additional 22,287 shares during the last quarter. 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 buying an additional 19,867 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 88.9% in the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 37,787 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,745,000 after buying an additional 17,782 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.