Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New Investment in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 12,610 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $582,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in First Financial during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in First Financial during the fourth quarter worth $73,000. FMR LLC increased its position in First Financial by 420.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in First Financial during the fourth quarter worth $205,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new position in First Financial during the third quarter worth $230,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. The trade was a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625. 3.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on THFF shares. 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 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 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 objective for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

First Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $49.35 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $584.95 million, a P/E ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 0.49. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $34.58 and a 52 week high of $53.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.10.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.13%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s payout ratio is currently 51.00%.

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.