Insider Buying: First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director Acquires 531 Shares of Stock

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director Mark Jason Sr Blade, Sr. purchased 531 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $38.06 per share, for a total transaction of $20,209.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,608 shares in the company, valued at $61,200.48. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

First Financial Stock Down 1.2 %

NASDAQ:THFF opened at $37.64 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $444.53 million, a P/E ratio of 8.03 and a beta of 0.52. First Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $31.55 and a fifty-two week high of $44.91. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.33.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter worth $64,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in First Financial by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,731 shares of the bank’s stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in First Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $151,000. Raymond James & Associates bought a new position in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $233,000. 72.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $43.00 target price (down from $45.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Wednesday, May 1st.

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.