First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Short Interest Down 16.4% in December

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) saw a large decline in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 52,100 shares, a decline of 16.4% from the December 15th total of 62,300 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 50,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Raymond James upgraded shares of First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th.

Institutional Trading of First Financial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of THFF. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. FMR LLC increased its position in First Financial by 420.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the bank’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in First Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in First Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $279,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in First Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $279,000. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Financial Price Performance

Shares of THFF traded down $0.34 on Thursday, reaching $46.16. The stock had a trading volume of 33,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 40,939. First Financial has a twelve month low of $34.58 and a twelve month high of $51.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $545.09 million, a PE ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $47.95 and a 200 day moving average of $44.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.17). First Financial had a net margin of 14.86% and a return on equity of 8.10%. The firm had revenue of $82.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.95 million. Sell-side analysts expect that First Financial will post 3.92 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. 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 55.28%.

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.