Quantbot Technologies LP Invests $335,000 in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 12,474 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $335,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,269 shares of the bank’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,340 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 1.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 67,175 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 975 shares during the period. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in First Financial Bancorp. in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 187,743 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,047,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the period. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FFBC opened at $24.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $26.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.85. First Financial Bancorp. has a 1-year low of $20.59 and a 1-year high of $31.18. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.87%. First Financial Bancorp.’s payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Insider Activity at First Financial Bancorp.

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the insider now owns 11,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $277,633.72. This represents a 40.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FFBC. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

First Financial Bancorp. 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.