Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Has $1.94 Million Stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,080 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 768 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.36% of First Financial worth $1,944,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in THFF. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,580 shares of the bank’s stock worth $673,000 after acquiring an additional 2,171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter worth $73,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,142 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,224,000 after acquiring an additional 2,288 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC grew its position in First Financial by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 26,447 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded 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 note on Monday, February 24th. 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 note on Thursday, February 6th.

First Financial Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of THFF stock opened at $53.38 on Friday. First Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $34.61 and a 52-week high of $53.60. The stock has a market cap of $632.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.35 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $48.10 and its 200-day moving average is $48.33. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. First Financial had a return on equity of 8.77% and a net margin of 15.37%. The company had revenue of $62.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $62.04 million. Sell-side analysts predict that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 44.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. The trade was a 11.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders purchased a total of 1,708 shares of company stock valued at $83,350 over the last ninety days. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.