Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 15,183 Shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) by 52.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,045 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 15,183 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in First Financial Bancorp. were worth $1,184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 221.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,717 shares of the bank's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. during the fourth quarter worth $76,000. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FFBC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

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Insider Transactions at First Financial Bancorp.

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of First Financial Bancorp. stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $277,633.72. This trade represents a 40.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.04% of the company's stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of FFBC traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $24.80. The stock had a trading volume of 293,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 397,844. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.87. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12 month low of $20.59 and a 12 month high of $31.18. 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 company has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.33 and a beta of 0.99.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

About First Financial Bancorp.

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.