First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,602,748 shares of the bank's stock after selling 67,823 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 6.91% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $177,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 221.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,717 shares of the bank's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 1,873 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the fourth quarter worth $76,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 807.3% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,976 shares of the bank's stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 2,648 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.23% of the company's stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of First Financial Bancorp. stock traded up $0.09 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $23.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 116,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 418,140. First Financial Bancorp. has a 1-year low of $20.59 and a 1-year high of $31.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $2.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.70 and a beta of 0.85.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.63. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 18.67%. The business had revenue of $201.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $214.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of First Financial Bancorp. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.92, for a total transaction of $189,392.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $277,633.72. The trade was a 40.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on 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 for the company in a research report on Monday. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday.

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.