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

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

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report 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 objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

First Financial Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:THFF traded down $0.38 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $53.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 48,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,878. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Financial has a 12 month low of $34.61 and a 12 month high of $53.60. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $48.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $628.10 million, a PE ratio of 13.25 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. The company had revenue of $62.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.04 million. On average, research analysts predict that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at First Financial

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated 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 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 1,708 shares of company stock valued at $83,350. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of THFF. Martingale Asset Management L P increased its holdings in First Financial by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 46,048 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,127,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in First Financial by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the bank's stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in First Financial by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the bank's stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in First Financial by 2.4% during the first quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 27,081 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,326,000 after buying an additional 634 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in First Financial by 4.5% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,236 shares of the bank's stock valued at $746,000 after buying an additional 656 shares during the period. 72.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.