Amundi Acquires 31,310 Shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Amundi raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) by 186.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,119 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 31,310 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.05% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $1,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 945 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the third quarter worth about $30,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 37,505 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,537 shares during the last quarter. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial Bancorp.

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was 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 owns 11,141 shares in the company, valued at $277,633.72. The trade was a 40.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 2.04% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

FFBC remained flat at $24.75 on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 1,031,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 362,921. The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.31 and a beta of 0.99. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12 month low of $20.59 and a 12 month high of $31.18. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $26.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.87.

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

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.88%. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.00%.

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.