Two Sigma Advisers LP Acquires 8,300 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 31.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,399 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned 0.29% of First Financial worth $1,589,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Financial by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 275,748 shares of the bank's stock valued at $12,740,000 after acquiring an additional 2,204 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in First Financial by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank's stock valued at $10,874,000 after purchasing an additional 19,867 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in First Financial by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 135,224 shares of the bank's stock valued at $6,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,386 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in First Financial by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 91,873 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,244,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in First Financial by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 87,504 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,042,000 after purchasing an additional 2,288 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders purchased 1,708 shares of company stock worth $83,350 in the last 90 days. 3.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of THFF stock traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.58. The stock had a trading volume of 23,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,090. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $48.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $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 one year low of $34.61 and a one year high of $53.60. The firm has a market cap of $611.27 million, a PE ratio of 12.90 and a beta of 0.41.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $62.49 million during 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, analysts forecast that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.96%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on THFF. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded First Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 target price (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note 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.