First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Shares Sold by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its position in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 236,960 shares of the bank's stock after selling 13,935 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.01% of First Financial worth $10,945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $73,000. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $205,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $213,000. 72.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ THFF traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $50.89. The stock had a trading volume of 40,551 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,360. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $47.79 and its 200 day moving average is $47.99. First Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $34.61 and a twelve month high of $53.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $603.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.41.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.26. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. The business had revenue of $62.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $62.04 million. Equities research analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial's payout ratio is 44.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 2,775 shares of company stock worth $139,480 over the last three months. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on THFF. StockNews.com downgraded First Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 price objective (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

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.