First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Update

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 52,100 shares, a decline of 16.4% from the December 15th total of 62,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 50,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Raymond James upgraded First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th.

First Financial Trading Up 0.6 %

THFF traded up $0.28 during trading on Friday, hitting $46.44. 54,786 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 38,445. The firm has a market capitalization of $548.46 million, a P/E ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 0.51. First Financial has a 12-month low of $34.58 and a 12-month high of $51.87. 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 50-day moving average of $47.78 and a 200 day moving average of $44.57.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $82.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.95 million. First Financial had a net margin of 14.86% and a return on equity of 8.10%. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Financial will post 3.92 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.39%. This is a boost from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial’s payout ratio is currently 55.28%.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased 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 worth $673,000 after buying an additional 2,171 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 761,654 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $35,181,000 after buying an additional 8,237 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in First Financial by 62.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,349 shares during the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently 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.