First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $53.44 and last traded at $52.03, with a volume of 134131 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $52.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on THFF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James raised First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

First Financial Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $47.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.58. The company has a market cap of $614.47 million, a P/E ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. As a group, analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. This is an increase from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 51.00%.

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. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in First Financial in the 4th quarter worth $73,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial by 420.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter worth $205,000. Institutional investors own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

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.