Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 1,400 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,528 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned 0.06% of First Financial worth $348,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dean Investment Associates LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $2,856,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in First Financial by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,100,000 after buying an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in First Financial by 62.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,349 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN grew its holdings in First Financial by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 761,654 shares of the bank’s stock worth $35,181,000 after acquiring an additional 8,237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of First Financial in the third quarter valued at about $279,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ THFF opened at $52.25 on Tuesday. First Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $34.58 and a 1 year high of $53.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $616.97 million, a P/E ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50-day moving average is $48.57 and its 200 day moving average is $46.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a $0.51 dividend. This is an increase from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.90%. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 51.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial

In other First Financial news, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were acquired 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 in the company, valued at $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 1,196 shares of company stock valued at $62,696. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.