Federated Hermes Inc. Has $480,000 Stock Holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Federated Hermes Inc. trimmed its position in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,385 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 874 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in First Financial were worth $480,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of THFF. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in First Financial in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in First Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. FMR LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 3,165 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of THFF stock opened at $44.31 on Friday. First Financial Co. has a one year low of $34.61 and a one year high of $53.60. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $48.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.38. The stock has a market cap of $525.21 million, a P/E ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 0.41.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.60%. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In other news, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625 over the last three months. Company insiders own 5.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James upgraded shares of First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th.

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.