Geode Capital Management LLC Purchases 4,743 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 273,544 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 4,743 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.32% of First Financial worth $11,997,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. 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 worth $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,349 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of First Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $279,000. Dean Investment Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the third quarter valued at $2,856,000. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in First Financial by 18.6% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 13,704 shares of the bank’s stock worth $601,000 after purchasing an additional 2,154 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF opened at $46.19 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $47.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $545.41 million, a P/E ratio of 12.52 and a beta of 0.50. First Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $34.58 and a 1-year high of $51.87.

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

First Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.42%. This is a positive change from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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 research note on Thursday, December 19th.

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.