First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Update

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 151,300 shares, an increase of 123.8% from the March 15th total of 67,600 shares. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 73,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

THFF has been the subject of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 price objective (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report 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 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders bought 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625. 5.01% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $73,000. FMR LLC increased its stake in First Financial by 420.3% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $205,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Financial Price Performance

First Financial stock traded down $0.63 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $43.68. 3,358 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 53,010. 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 company has a market capitalization of $517.72 million, a P/E ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 0.41. First Financial has a 12-month low of $34.61 and a 12-month high of $53.60. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $48.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.48.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. Analysts forecast that First Financial will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.67%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.00%.

About First Financial

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.