Millennium Management LLC Has $4.02 Million Stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 231.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,972 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 60,732 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC owned 0.74% of First Financial worth $4,017,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in First Financial during the 4th quarter worth $73,000. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 1,209 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company's stock.

First Financial Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of First Financial stock traded up $0.36 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.46. 50,582 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 55,236. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $48.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $609.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 0.41. 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.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $62.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $62.04 million. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS 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 $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.96%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 1,708 shares of company stock worth $83,350. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. 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 note on Thursday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of First Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 target price on the stock 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.