MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,509 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. owned about 0.06% of First Financial worth $301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in First Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $73,000. Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $213,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 27.6% in the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 5,586 shares of the bank’s stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 1,209 shares in the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Financial Stock Down 0.5%

THFF stock opened at $51.78 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $48.58 and a 200 day moving average of $48.76. 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 twelve month low of $34.61 and a twelve month high of $53.60. The firm has a market cap of $613.64 million, a PE ratio of 12.95 and a beta of 0.41.

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

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.94%. First Financial’s payout ratio is 44.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have acquired 1,708 shares of company stock worth $83,350 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on THFF. Wall Street Zen upgraded First Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

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.