Mark Allen Franklin Buys 1,100 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Stock

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $517,157.85. This trade represents 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 at this link.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of THFF opened at $51.97 on Monday. First Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $34.58 and a 1 year high of $53.60. The company has a market cap of $613.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $47.92 and a 200-day moving average of $45.72.

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

First Financial Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $73,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in First Financial by 420.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.