First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.45

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, March 19th, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.45 per share by the bank on Monday, April 15th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th.

First Financial has raised its dividend by an average of 13.7% per year over the last three years. First Financial has a payout ratio of 16.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect First Financial to earn $5.22 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.90 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 17.2%.

First Financial Stock Down 0.4 %

THFF opened at $36.89 on Wednesday. First Financial has a one year low of $31.00 and a one year high of $44.91. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $38.32 and its 200-day moving average is $37.75. The company has a market capitalization of $435.67 million, a PE ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 0.50.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The bank reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by ($0.07). First Financial had a return on equity of 12.13% and a net margin of 22.38%. The firm had revenue of $50.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.10 million. On average, equities analysts predict that First Financial will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of THFF. US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of First Financial by 254.4% during the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,042 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the period. Point72 Middle East FZE acquired a new position in First Financial during the second quarter valued at $74,000. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc acquired a new position in First Financial during the first quarter valued at $96,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in First Financial by 135.2% during the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,359 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 1,356 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its position in First Financial by 42.9% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 3,179 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 954 shares during the period. 72.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.