First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Insider James R. Shank Sells 7,600 Shares

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of First Financial Bancorp. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.92, for a total value of $189,392.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $277,633.72. This trade represents a 40.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance

FFBC opened at $25.03 on Thursday. First Financial Bancorp. has a 1-year low of $20.59 and a 1-year high of $31.18. The stock has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.06. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 18.67%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.84%. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Institutional Trading of First Financial Bancorp.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FFBC. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,502 shares of the bank’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 221.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,717 shares of the bank’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 1,873 shares during the period. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Monday, January 27th.

First Financial Bancorp. Company Profile

First Financial Bancorp. operates as the bank holding company for First Financial Bank that provides commercial banking and related services to individuals and businesses in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. The company offers checking, savings, and money-market accounts; and accepts various deposit products, such as interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts, time deposits, and cash management services for commercial customers.