First Financial Co. Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.51 (NASDAQ:THFF)

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, March 18th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.51 per share by the bank on Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st.

First Financial has raised its dividend payment by an average of 20.6% per year over the last three years. First Financial has a payout ratio of 35.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect First Financial to earn $5.94 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 34.3%.

First Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ THFF opened at $49.09 on Friday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $50.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.33. The company has a market cap of $581.86 million, a P/E ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 0.49. First Financial has a fifty-two week low of $34.58 and a fifty-two week high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. Sell-side analysts predict that First Financial will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at First Financial

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 2,195 shares of company stock worth $111,625. Company insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

THFF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James upgraded First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

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.