First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) Upgraded to Buy at Janney Montgomery Scott

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) was upgraded by Janney Montgomery Scott from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a $58.00 target price on the bank’s stock. Janney Montgomery Scott’s target price indicates a potential upside of 15.56% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on THFF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up previously from $52.00) on shares of First Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James upgraded First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th.

First Financial Price Performance

First Financial stock opened at $50.19 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $592.64 million, a P/E ratio of 12.55 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50-day moving average of $48.08 and a 200-day moving average of $46.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. First Financial has a 1 year low of $34.58 and a 1 year high of $53.60.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts anticipate that First Financial will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at First Financial

In related news, insider Mark Allen Franklin acquired 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $52.53 per share, with a total value of $57,783.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 9,845 shares in the company, valued at $517,157.85. This represents a 12.58 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders acquired a total of 1,196 shares of company stock worth $62,696 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.69% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in THFF. Martingale Asset Management L P grew its position in shares of First Financial by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 46,048 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,127,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in First Financial by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in First Financial by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,979 shares of the bank’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of First Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC raised its position in shares of First Financial by 1.0% in the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 57,630 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,527,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the period. 72.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First Financial

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.