Quantbot Technologies LP Invests $335,000 in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 12,474 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $335,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 87,345 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,348,000 after acquiring an additional 4,781 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 104.2% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 43,850 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 22,380 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 4th quarter worth $238,000. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 26.1% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 101,922 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,740,000 after purchasing an additional 21,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 52.6% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 44,045 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,184,000 after purchasing an additional 15,183 shares in the last quarter. 77.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance

First Financial Bancorp. stock traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $25.10. 422,661 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 398,043. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $20.59 and a 12-month high of $31.18. The business's 50-day moving average is $26.59 and its 200-day moving average is $26.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a PE ratio of 10.46 and a beta of 0.85.

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, 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. First Financial Bancorp.'s payout ratio is presently 40.00%.

Insider Activity at First Financial Bancorp.

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.92, for a total value of $189,392.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,141 shares in the company, valued at $277,633.72. This represents a 40.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FFBC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated 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. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

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.