First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Sets New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $49.53 and last traded at $49.53, with a volume of 1341 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.93.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of First Financial from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

First Financial Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $43.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.57. The company has a market capitalization of $582.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.45 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.17). First Financial had a return on equity of 8.25% and a net margin of 14.86%. The company had revenue of $82.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.95 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. First Financial’s payout ratio is 48.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of THFF. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in First Financial by 9.2% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,313 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in First Financial by 64.4% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 16,435 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 6,437 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in First Financial by 17.3% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 14,384 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $551,000 after purchasing an additional 2,123 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in First Financial by 7.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 40,516 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,553,000 after purchasing an additional 2,975 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in First Financial by 11.8% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 125,553 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,811,000 after purchasing an additional 13,278 shares in the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.