Nomura Holdings Inc. Invests $380,000 in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 14,121 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $380,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of FFBC. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,502 shares of the bank's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 221.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,717 shares of the bank's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 1,873 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the fourth quarter valued at about $76,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 807.3% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,976 shares of the bank's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 2,648 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.23% of the company's stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of FFBC stock opened at $24.11 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 10.05 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.39. First Financial Bancorp. has a 1-year low of $20.59 and a 1-year high of $31.18.

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

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.83%.

Insider Transactions at First Financial Bancorp.

In other news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 11,141 shares in the company, valued at $277,633.72. This trade represents a 40.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FFBC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Friday, January 24th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $27.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective 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, April 28th.

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.

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