First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on THFF. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

First Financial Stock Performance

THFF stock remained flat at $53.00 during midday trading on Wednesday. The company's stock had a trading volume of 40,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,926. The stock's 50 day moving average is $48.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.54. 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 company has a market cap of $628.10 million, a P/E ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 0.41. First Financial has a 52-week low of $34.61 and a 52-week high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $62.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.04 million. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. On average, analysts expect that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In related news, 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 price of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at $463,543.38. The trade was a 11.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 1,708 shares of company stock valued at $83,350. 3.69% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of THFF. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of First Financial by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,580 shares of the bank's stock valued at $673,000 after acquiring an additional 2,171 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $73,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of First Financial by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,142 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,224,000 after acquiring an additional 2,288 shares during the last quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of First Financial by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 26,447 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,222,000 after acquiring an additional 904 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.74% of the company's stock.

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.