First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) issued its earnings results on Tuesday. The bank reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $273.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $270.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.76 EPS.

First Financial Bancorp. Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ FFBC opened at $32.54 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $32.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.84. First Financial Bancorp. has a twelve month low of $23.06 and a twelve month high of $36.24.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of First Financial Bancorp. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Truist Financial raised shares of First Financial Bancorp. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $35.00 to $37.00 in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.00.

First Financial Bancorp. News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting First Financial Bancorp. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Adjusted earnings were $0.84 per share versus the $0.82 consensus estimate, while revenue reached a record $273.9 million, ahead of the roughly $271.0 million forecast. Earnings also increased from $0.76 per share a year earlier. First Financial Bancorp Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying operating trends improved. Net interest income rose 22.3% year over year to $196.3 million, net interest margin expanded to approximately 4.07%, and loan balances grew $170 million, or 4.9% on an annualized basis. Record adjusted noninterest income and an adjusted return on tangible common equity of 20.2% also point to solid profitability. First Financial Bancorp Announces Record Third Quarter Financial Results and Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: The dividend was maintained. FFBC declared a quarterly payment of $0.26 per share, equivalent to $1.04 annually and a yield of approximately 3.2%. The dividend is payable December 15 to shareholders of record December 1. First Financial Bancorp Approves Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory approval advances the Finward acquisition. The transaction is expected to close on January 1, 2027, subject to remaining approvals, potentially supporting future scale and growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling may weigh on sentiment. Company insiders reported eight open-market sales and no purchases during the past six months, including sales by the CEO and CFO. This does not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals, but it removes a potential confidence signal for investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Archie Brown sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.93, for a total value of $164,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 238,758 shares in the company, valued at $7,862,300.94. This represents a 2.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Thomas O’Brien sold 16,088 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.77, for a total transaction of $527,203.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 30,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $995,945.84. This trade represents a 34.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,788 shares of company stock worth $919,006. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

About First Financial Bancorp.

First Financial Bancorp. is a bank holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through its principal subsidiary, First Financial Bank, the company provides banking and financial services to businesses, individuals and organizations.

First Financial Bank offers commercial and consumer lending, deposit accounts, treasury management, cash management and other traditional banking products. Its services also include wealth management, investment services and mortgage-related solutions, helping customers manage borrowing, deposits, payments and longer-term financial needs.

The company serves communities primarily in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky through a network of banking offices and digital banking channels.