First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $53.44 and last traded at $52.03, with a volume of 134131 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $52.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

THFF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James raised shares of First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

First Financial Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $614.47 million, a PE ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $47.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.58.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. On average, research analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.92%. This is an increase from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial’s payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter worth $73,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 420.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $205,000. 72.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.