Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $1.27 Million Stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 21.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,397 shares of the bank's stock after selling 7,437 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.23% of First Financial worth $1,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 420.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank's stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 3,165 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Financial by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 13,704 shares of the bank's stock valued at $601,000 after purchasing an additional 2,154 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of First Financial by 62.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,349 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Financial by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 273,544 shares of the bank's stock valued at $11,997,000 after purchasing an additional 4,743 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 10.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank's stock worth $10,100,000 after purchasing an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on THFF shares. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Insider Activity

In other First Financial news, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company's stock.

First Financial Trading Down 1.1 %

First Financial stock traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $47.46. 5,628 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 53,554. First Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $34.61 and a fifty-two week high of $53.60. The firm's 50 day moving average is $48.11 and its 200-day moving average is $47.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $562.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87 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 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. On average, analysts predict that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.30%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio is 51.00%.

First Financial 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.