First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Shares Sold by Denali Advisors LLC

Denali Advisors LLC decreased its position in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 249,700 shares of the bank's stock after selling 20,700 shares during the quarter. Denali Advisors LLC owned 0.26% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $6,712,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Souders Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 0.9% during the third quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 72,038 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,818,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 5.2% during the third quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,525 shares of the bank's stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased 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 worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 1.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 67,175 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 975 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. during the third quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.23% of the company's stock.

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First Financial Bancorp. Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of FFBC stock traded up $0.38 on Friday, reaching $27.41. 444,109 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 404,475. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business's 50 day moving average price is $27.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.93. The company has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.42 and a beta of 1.02. First Financial Bancorp. has a twelve month low of $20.59 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 EPS 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 expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FFBC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated 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.