First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Down 37.7% in March

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 61,900 shares, a decrease of 37.7% from the March 15th total of 99,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 49,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

First Financial Price Performance

THFF traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.77. The stock had a trading volume of 30,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 48,881. The company has a market cap of $422.44 million, a P/E ratio of 6.98 and a beta of 0.51. First Financial has a 1 year low of $31.00 and a 1 year high of $44.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The business has a fifty day moving average of $37.34 and a 200 day moving average of $37.87.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The bank reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.13 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $50.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $51.10 million. First Financial had a net margin of 22.38% and a return on equity of 12.13%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First Financial will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.03%. First Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in THFF. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of First Financial by 254.4% during the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,042 shares of the bank's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new position in First Financial in the second quarter worth $74,000. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc bought a new position in First Financial in the first quarter worth $96,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in First Financial by 135.2% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,359 shares of the bank's stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.