Inceptionr LLC Invests $432,000 in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Inceptionr LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,060 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $432,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,643,440 shares of the bank's stock valued at $117,154,000 after purchasing an additional 39,655 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,271,990 shares of the bank's stock valued at $57,333,000 after buying an additional 34,977 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,304,922 shares of the bank's stock worth $35,076,000 after buying an additional 22,573 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 849,678 shares of the bank's stock worth $22,839,000 after acquiring an additional 126,996 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 511,868 shares of the bank's stock valued at $13,759,000 after acquiring an additional 20,636 shares in the last quarter. 77.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

Shares of FFBC stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $24.54. 316,389 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 403,787. The firm has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.23 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $27.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. First Financial Bancorp. has a fifty-two week low of $20.59 and a fifty-two week high of $31.18.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.91%. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on FFBC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted 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 report on Monday, January 27th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note 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.