Numerai GP LLC Sells 3,371 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Numerai GP LLC trimmed its stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 39.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,144 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 3,371 shares during the quarter. Numerai GP LLC’s holdings in First Financial were worth $238,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of First Financial by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,874,000 after purchasing an additional 19,867 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in First Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $582,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in First Financial by 73.1% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 11,009 shares of the bank’s stock worth $509,000 after buying an additional 4,650 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in First Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $409,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in First Financial by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,580 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $673,000 after acquiring an additional 2,171 shares during the period. 72.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on THFF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have bought 1,708 shares of company stock valued at $83,350 in the last three months. 3.69% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

First Financial Price Performance

THFF stock opened at $53.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.33. The company has a market capitalization of $632.61 million, a P/E ratio of 13.35 and a beta of 0.41. First Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $34.61 and a 52-week high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $62.04 million. Research analysts expect that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis 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%.

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.