First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Director Sells $20,574.40 in Stock

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) Director Dawn C. Morris sold 880 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.38, for a total value of $20,574.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,790 shares in the company, valued at $135,370.20. This represents a 13.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

NASDAQ FFBC traded up $0.21 during trading on Monday, reaching $24.21. 71,035 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 442,370. First Financial Bancorp. has a 1-year low of $20.59 and a 1-year high of $31.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $24.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.50. The company has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.08 and a beta of 0.94.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.63 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $214.80 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. First Financial Bancorp.'s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. First Financial Bancorp.'s payout ratio is presently 39.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FFBC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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, April 28th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 4th quarter valued at $8,961,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,186,286 shares of the bank's stock worth $31,887,000 after purchasing an additional 328,788 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the 4th quarter worth about $7,827,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 65.2% during 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 lifted its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 713.5% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 265,843 shares of the bank's stock valued at $7,149,000 after purchasing an additional 233,163 shares during the period. 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.

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