First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.26 EPS

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.26, Zacks reports. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. The firm had revenue of $62.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.04 million.

First Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:THFF traded down $0.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $47.31. The company had a trading volume of 39,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 53,896. The firm has a market cap of $560.77 million, a PE ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.41. First Financial has a 1-year low of $34.61 and a 1-year high of $53.60. The business's 50 day moving average price is $48.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.31%. First Financial's payout ratio is 44.16%.

Insider Activity

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the purchase, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 2,635 shares of company stock valued at $132,784 in the last three months. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

THFF has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated 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. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a research report 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.