American Century Companies Inc. Has $10.26 Million Stock Holdings in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 381,582 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 21,870 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.40% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $10,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 491,232 shares of the bank's stock worth $12,394,000 after acquiring an additional 20,449 shares during the period. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. during the fourth quarter valued at about $273,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 1.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,271,990 shares of the bank's stock worth $57,333,000 after purchasing an additional 34,977 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 166,170 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,192,000 after buying an additional 33,464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,643,440 shares of the bank's stock valued at $117,154,000 after buying an additional 39,655 shares in the last quarter. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FFBC. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note 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 increased their price target on 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.

First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

NASDAQ FFBC traded down $0.02 on Monday, reaching $22.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 675,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 401,815. The firm's 50 day moving average is $26.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.81. The stock has a market cap of $2.11 billion, a PE ratio of 9.21 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. First Financial Bancorp. has a twelve month low of $19.78 and a twelve month high of $31.18.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts predict that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors 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 4.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. First Financial Bancorp.'s payout ratio is 40.00%.

Insider Transactions at First Financial Bancorp.

In related news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of First Financial Bancorp. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.92, for a total value of $189,392.00. Following the transaction, the insider now 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.