Key Highlights

  • First Financial's $0.56 quarterly dividend goes ex-dividend October 1, 2026 and is payable October 15 to shareholders of record.
  • Second-quarter net income was $22.7 million, or $1.91 per diluted share, compared with $18.6 million, or $1.57.
  • Net interest margin was 4.33% versus 4.15% a year earlier, and net interest income was a record $61.2 million.
  • The CedarStone Financial, Inc. acquisition closed in March 2026, adding $292 million in loans and $313 million in deposits.

Overview

First Financial Corporation's (NASDAQ:THFF) $0.56 quarterly dividend yields 3.02% and is payable October 15, 2026 to shareholders of record October 1. Second-quarter diluted net income per common share was $1.91 and six-month diluted net income per common share was $3.58, compared with $1.57 and $3.12 a year earlier. Return on average assets was 1.48%.

Dividend Program and Shareholder Returns

First Financial's quarterly dividend is $0.56 per common share, payable October 15, 2026 to shareholders of record on October 1. The latest filing identifies no special or supplemental common dividend.

Dividend declarations remain subject to board approval. Total assets were $6,178,309 thousand at June 30, 2026, compared with $5,756,126 thousand at December 31, 2025.

About the Company

First Financial Corporation is the Terre Haute, Indiana-based holding company for First Financial Bank, which serves customers in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia. Revenue comes mainly from net interest income on loans and securities, supplemented by noninterest income. Loan growth, deposit pricing, credit quality and net interest margin are the principal operating variables.

Financial Performance Behind the Payout

First Financial reported second-quarter net income of $22.7 million, compared with $18.6 million, and diluted net income per common share of $1.91, compared with $1.57. Return on average assets was 1.48% versus 1.34%. The provision for credit losses was $1.3 million versus $2.0 million, and net charge-offs were $2.7 million versus $1.7 million.

Net interest income was a record $61.2 million versus $52.7 million, and the net interest margin was 4.33% versus 4.15%. Noninterest income was $10.6 million, and noninterest expense was $42.5 million versus $38.3 million. Pre-tax, pre-provision net income, a non-GAAP measure, was $29.3 million versus $24.9 million.

For the six months, net income was $42.5 million versus $37.0 million, diluted net income per common share was $3.58 versus $3.12, and return on average assets was 1.42%.

The CedarStone Acquisition and Loan Growth Behind the Earnings

First Financial completed its acquisition of CedarStone Financial, Inc. in March 2026, adding $292 million in loans and $313 million in deposits. The cumulative quarter-end bargain purchase gain was $33 thousand. The company states that higher salaries, equipment and occupancy costs in noninterest expense partly reflect the acquisition.

Average total loans were $4.45 billion versus $3.88 billion a year earlier. The second quarter was the eleventh consecutive quarter of loan growth, according to the company. On a linked-quarter basis, average loans increased $282 million and average deposits increased $205 million.

Outlook

First Financial reports loan growth, net interest margin, net charge-offs and noninterest expense each quarter, and the second quarter marked its eleventh consecutive quarter of loan growth. The company's reporting also covers the CedarStone acquisition, which closed in March 2026.