14,121 Shares in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Acquired by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 14,121 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $380,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FFBC. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. in the fourth quarter worth $8,961,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,186,286 shares of the bank's stock valued at $31,887,000 after acquiring an additional 328,788 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,827,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 65.2% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 669,409 shares of the bank's stock worth $17,994,000 after purchasing an additional 264,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 713.5% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 265,843 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,149,000 after purchasing an additional 233,163 shares during the period. 77.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $27.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 11,141 shares in the company, 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. Corporate insiders own 1.13% of the company's stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance

FFBC traded down $0.20 on Wednesday, hitting $24.32. 28,701 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 418,715. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $23.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.30. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a PE ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 0.94. First Financial Bancorp. has a 52 week low of $20.59 and a 52 week high of $31.18.

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

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.83%.

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.