Northern Trust Corp Purchases 1,386 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 135,224 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,386 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.14% of First Financial worth $6,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its holdings in First Financial by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 46,048 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,127,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in First Financial by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in First Financial by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,381 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $942,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC raised its position in First Financial by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 26,447 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,222,000 after buying an additional 904 shares during the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

THFF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price target (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded First Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. 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 research note on Monday, February 24th.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of THFF stock opened at $53.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $628.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $48.27 and a 200-day moving average of $48.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $34.61 and a 1-year high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $62.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.04 million. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s payout ratio is 44.16%.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 1,708 shares of company stock valued at $83,350. 3.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.