Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 7,590 Shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in shares of First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) by 29.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,352 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 7,590 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in First Financial were worth $848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of First Financial by 73.1% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 11,009 shares of the bank’s stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 4,650 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in First Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $605,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in First Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $582,000. Bailard Inc. increased its holdings in First Financial by 90.0% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 13,303 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $614,000 after buying an additional 6,300 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $205,000. 72.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on THFF shares. Raymond James raised shares of First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Financial news, Director James O. Mcdonald bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $48.99 per share, for a total transaction of $48,990.00. Following the transaction, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Allen Franklin purchased 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was 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 owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,157.85. This trade represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 2,195 shares of company stock valued at $111,625 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Trading Down 0.7 %

THFF opened at $48.64 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $576.53 million, a P/E ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company’s 50 day moving average is $50.11 and its 200-day moving average is $47.44. First Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $34.58 and a 1-year high of $53.60.

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

First Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.19%. First Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.