First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 55,600 shares, an increase of 23.0% from the February 13th total of 45,200 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 55,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of First Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625. 3.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of First Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $3,855,000. Dean Investment Associates LLC bought a new position in First Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $2,856,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 231.4% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 86,972 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,017,000 after buying an additional 60,732 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of First Financial by 10.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,100,000 after acquiring an additional 22,287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in First Financial by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 235,412 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,874,000 after acquiring an additional 19,867 shares during the last quarter. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:THFF traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $49.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,102. The company has a market capitalization of $589.03 million, a P/E ratio of 12.41 and a beta of 0.49. 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 has a twelve month low of $34.58 and a twelve month high of $53.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.94.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts anticipate that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.