First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) was the target of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 55,600 shares, a growth of 23.0% from the February 13th total of 45,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 55,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on THFF. Raymond James raised First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

First Financial Price Performance

THFF opened at $50.64 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $600.24 million, a PE ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 0.49. The business’s 50-day moving average is $49.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.00. First Financial has a 1 year low of $34.58 and a 1 year high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 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%. Research analysts anticipate that First Financial will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625. Corporate insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in First Financial by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,100,000 after acquiring an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in First Financial by 62.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,643,000 after buying an additional 14,349 shares during the last quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $2,856,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in First Financial by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 273,544 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $11,997,000 after purchasing an additional 4,743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in First Financial by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,580 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $673,000 after purchasing an additional 2,171 shares in the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.