First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) Declares Dividend Increase – $0.51 Per Share

First Financial Co. (NASDAQ:THFF) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, December 19th,Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be given a dividend of 0.51 per share by the bank on Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. This is an increase from First Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45.

First Financial has raised its dividend by an average of 13.7% per year over the last three years. First Financial has a payout ratio of 34.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect First Financial to earn $5.18 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 34.7%.

First Financial Stock Down 0.0 %

THFF opened at $45.98 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $542.93 million, a PE ratio of 12.46 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. First Financial has a fifty-two week low of $34.58 and a fifty-two week high of $51.87. The business has a 50-day moving average of $47.08 and a 200-day moving average of $43.10.

First Financial (NASDAQ:THFF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.17). First Financial had a net margin of 14.86% and a return on equity of 8.10%. The business had revenue of $82.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.95 million. Equities research analysts forecast that First Financial will post 3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Raymond James raised shares of First Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday.

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.