First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Shares Bought by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) by 38.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,186,286 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 328,788 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 1.24% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $31,887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 140.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 190,742 shares of the bank's stock worth $4,812,000 after purchasing an additional 111,309 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 1.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 67,175 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,707,000 after buying an additional 975 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 491,232 shares of the bank's stock valued at $12,394,000 after buying an additional 20,449 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 295,967 shares of the bank's stock worth $8,006,000 after acquiring an additional 52,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. 77.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FFBC. 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 research note on Monday. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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 research note on Monday.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of FFBC stock traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $23.15. 471,107 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 420,918. The business's fifty day moving average is $24.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.65 and a beta of 0.85. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $20.59 and a 12-month high of $31.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.63 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.15%. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the company'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 value of $189,392.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at $277,633.72. This represents a 40.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.04% 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.