First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Shares Sold by Trexquant Investment LP

Trexquant Investment LP trimmed its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) by 24.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 112,373 shares of the bank's stock after selling 36,676 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP owned 0.12% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $3,021,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 397.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 73,750 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,861,000 after buying an additional 58,935 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 36,760 shares of the bank's stock worth $927,000 after acquiring an additional 7,331 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 226,660 shares of the bank's stock valued at $5,719,000 after purchasing an additional 2,820 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter valued at $226,000. Finally, Centiva Capital LP lifted its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 69.1% during the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 21,406 shares of the bank's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 8,747 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.23% of the company's stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance

Shares of FFBC traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $22.05. 395,645 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 406,677. First Financial Bancorp. has a twelve month low of $20.59 and a twelve month high of $31.18. 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 company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.19 and a beta of 0.85. The business's 50-day moving average price is $25.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.68.

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, sell-side analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.35%. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on FFBC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised 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. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 11,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $277,633.72. This represents a 40.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.