First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Director Dawn C. Morris Sells 787 Shares

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) Director Dawn C. Morris sold 787 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.15, for a total transaction of $19,006.05. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,960 shares of the company's stock, valued at $192,234. This trade represents a 9.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FFBC traded down $0.50 during trading on Monday, reaching $23.66. The company had a trading volume of 418,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 419,483. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. First Financial Bancorp. has a 52 week low of $20.59 and a 52 week high of $31.18. The stock has a market cap of $2.27 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 0.94. The business's 50 day moving average price is $23.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.17.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63. The company had revenue of $201.59 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $214.80 million. First Financial Bancorp. had a net margin of 18.67% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The firm's revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. Analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.06%. First Financial Bancorp.'s payout ratio is 39.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FFBC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $27.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on First Financial Bancorp. from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Institutional Trading of First Financial Bancorp.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in First Financial Bancorp. in the first quarter valued at about $382,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 70.0% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 74,527 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,862,000 after acquiring an additional 30,677 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. in the first quarter valued at $5,714,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 6.0% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 318,298 shares of the bank's stock valued at $7,951,000 after purchasing an additional 17,911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 2.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 315,101 shares of the bank's stock valued at $7,871,000 after acquiring an additional 6,352 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.23% of the company's stock.

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.