First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director Mark Jason Sr Blade, Sr. Buys 531 Shares

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Director Mark Jason Sr Blade, Sr. acquired 531 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $38.06 per share, with a total value of $20,209.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 this hyperlink.

First Financial Stock Performance

Shares of First Financial stock traded up $0.46 during trading on Monday, hitting $38.11. 45,369 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 47,189. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $450.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.03 and a beta of 0.52. First Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $31.55 and a 52-week 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.

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Financial Corp IN lifted its stake in shares of First Financial by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 735,719 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,651,000 after purchasing an additional 35,940 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in First Financial by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 703,304 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,264,000 after buying an additional 38,360 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Financial by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 204,670 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,920,000 after acquiring an additional 22,582 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of First Financial by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 35,943 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,547,000 after acquiring an additional 6,963 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of First Financial by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 26,526 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. 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.