First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $44.87, but opened at $43.91. First Financial shares last traded at $43.91, with a volume of 1,451 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on First Financial from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th.

First Financial Stock Up 0.8 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $506.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.92 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $43.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.06.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The bank reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96. The company had revenue of $70.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.95 million. First Financial had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 18.22%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in First Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $233,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of First Financial by 9.2% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,313 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $280,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in First Financial by 64.4% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 16,435 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 6,437 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in First Financial by 17.3% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 14,384 shares of the bank’s stock worth $551,000 after purchasing an additional 2,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Financial by 7.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 40,516 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,553,000 after buying an additional 2,975 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.74% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Company Profile

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.