47,765 Shares in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Acquired by Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 47,765 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $1,284,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC owned about 0.05% of First Financial Bancorp. at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity at First Financial Bancorp.

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.92, for a total transaction of $189,392.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,141 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. 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 for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on First Financial Bancorp. from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th.

First Financial Bancorp. Trading Up 2.8 %

FFBC traded up $0.66 on Friday, hitting $24.00. The company had a trading volume of 325,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 421,311. 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 cap of $2.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.94. The company's fifty day moving average price is $24.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.50. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 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 analyst estimates of $214.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. First Financial Bancorp.'s payout ratio is presently 39.83%.

About First Financial Bancorp.

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.