Hsbc Holdings PLC Raises Holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Free Report) by 121.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,798 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 8,124 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.13% of First Financial worth $685,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in First Financial by 10.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank's stock valued at $10,100,000 after purchasing an additional 22,287 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of First Financial by 62.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,349 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Financial by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank's stock worth $10,874,000 after acquiring an additional 19,867 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $582,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in First Financial by 73.1% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 11,009 shares of the bank's stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 4,650 shares during the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

THFF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of First Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

First Financial Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of THFF stock traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $50.89. 40,551 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 54,494. 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 firm has a market cap of $603.10 million, a P/E ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.12. First Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $34.61 and a fifty-two week high of $53.60.

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

First Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This 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 in the last quarter. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.