First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Raised to “Buy” at Janney Montgomery Scott

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) was upgraded by analysts at Janney Montgomery Scott from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $58.00 price objective on the bank’s stock. Janney Montgomery Scott’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 13.02% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. 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 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 Stock Up 0.8 %

THFF opened at $51.32 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $48.15 and its 200-day moving average is $46.23. First Financial has a one year low of $34.58 and a one year high of $53.60. The company has a market capitalization of $605.99 million, a PE ratio of 12.83 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.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. On average, equities analysts predict that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders bought a total of 1,196 shares of company stock worth $62,696 over the last ninety days. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

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