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

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, March 21st, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st.

First Financial has increased its dividend by an average of 20.6% annually over the last three years. First Financial has a payout ratio of 35.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. 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

Shares of NASDAQ THFF traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $49.56. The stock had a trading volume of 91,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,268. First Financial has a twelve month low of $34.58 and a twelve month high of $53.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The business’s fifty day moving average is $49.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.02. The company has a market cap of $587.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 0.49.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at First Financial

In other First Financial news, insider Mark Allen Franklin bought 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, for a total transaction of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. The trade was a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625. Corporate insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (up from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. 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 research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th.

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.