EP Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,721 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $264,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $3,855,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank's stock worth $10,874,000 after purchasing an additional 19,867 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 88.9% in the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 37,787 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,745,000 after purchasing an additional 17,782 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $707,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $605,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.74% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired 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 directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders purchased a total of 1,708 shares of company stock worth $83,350 over the last three months. 3.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on THFF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday.

First Financial Price Performance

Shares of THFF stock traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $53.00. The stock had a trading volume of 48,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,878. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $48.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.40. 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 12 month low of $34.61 and a 12 month high of $53.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $628.10 million, a PE ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 0.41.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. The company had revenue of $62.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.04 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. First Financial's 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.