Two Sigma Investments LP Increases Holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 17.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,122 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,079 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP owned 0.29% of First Financial worth $1,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its position in First Financial by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 46,048 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of First Financial by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the bank’s stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of First Financial by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the bank’s stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of First Financial by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,381 shares of the bank’s stock worth $942,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in shares of First Financial by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 17,566 shares of the bank’s stock worth $811,000 after acquiring an additional 721 shares in the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have bought a total of 1,708 shares of company stock valued at $83,350 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:THFF opened at $51.46 on Wednesday. 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 Co. has a one year low of $34.61 and a one year high of $53.60. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.78. The stock has a market cap of $609.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 0.41.

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

First Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.16%.

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.