Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Boosts Holdings in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 73.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,009 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,650 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in First Financial were worth $509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of THFF. Dean Investment Associates LLC purchased a new position in First Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,856,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in First Financial by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 230,332 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,100,000 after acquiring an additional 22,287 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in First Financial by 62.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,457 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,349 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $605,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in First Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $582,000. 72.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James O. Mcdonald acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $463,543.38. This trade represents a 11.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 9,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $517,157.85. The trade was a 12.58 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

First Financial Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of First Financial stock opened at $49.35 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 stock has a market capitalization of $584.95 million, a PE ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 0.49. First Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $34.58 and a 52-week high of $53.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.08.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.08. First Financial had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 8.77%. On average, analysts anticipate that First Financial Co. will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.13%. First Financial’s payout ratio is 51.00%.

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.