First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Upgraded at Janney Montgomery Scott

Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Janney Montgomery Scott currently has $58.00 price objective on the bank’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Raymond James raised First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed 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.

First Financial Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of THFF opened at $50.97 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $48.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.27. 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 has a twelve month low of $34.58 and a twelve month high of $53.60. The stock has a market cap of $601.85 million, a PE ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 0.51.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. This is a positive change from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.00%. First Financial’s payout ratio is 51.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In other First Financial news, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have bought 1,196 shares of company stock worth $62,696 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Martingale Asset Management L P grew its holdings in shares of First Financial by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 46,048 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of First Financial by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the bank’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in First Financial by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in First Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC grew its position in shares of First Financial by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 57,630 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,527,000 after buying an additional 555 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.