Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Purchases 1,209 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 27.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,586 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,209 shares during the quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC’s holdings in First Financial were worth $258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. Martingale Asset Management L P raised its position in shares of First Financial by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 46,048 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Financial by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of First Financial by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,381 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $942,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Financial by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 26,447 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. 72.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $48.99 per share, with a total value of $48,990.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,543.38. This represents a 11.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders purchased 1,708 shares of company stock worth $83,350 in the last quarter. 3.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

THFF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of First Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of First Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

First Financial Trading Down 0.7%

THFF stock opened at $53.00 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.43. First Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $34.61 and a 52 week high of $53.60. The company has a market capitalization of $628.10 million, a PE ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 0.41.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. The firm had revenue of $62.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.04 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.85%. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.16%.

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.