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 dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.92, for a total transaction of $189,392.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Up 0.5 %

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

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

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial Bancorp.

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FFBC. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,502 shares of the bank’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 221.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,717 shares of the bank’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 1,873 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.23% of the company’s stock.

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.