First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on THFF. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 price objective (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

First Financial Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ THFF traded down $0.31 on Tuesday, hitting $50.89. The stock had a trading volume of 40,551 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,494. First Financial has a 52-week low of $34.61 and a 52-week high of $53.60. The business's fifty day moving average price is $47.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.12. 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 stock has a market cap of $603.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.41.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.26. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. The business had revenue of $62.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.04 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Financial will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were acquired 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 of the company's stock, valued at $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 2,775 shares of company stock worth $139,480 over the last three months. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in First Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $73,000. US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of First Financial by 167.0% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,475 shares of the bank's stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,548 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.