State of Alaska Department of Revenue Has $1.37 Million Stock Holdings in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its stake in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,488 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,559 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue owned 0.06% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $1,374,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 23.9% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 305,942 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,917,000 after buying an additional 58,963 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 115.9% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 58,070 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,264,000 after acquiring an additional 31,170 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in First Financial Bancorp. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $752,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 76.6% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 46,793 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 20,299 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 625,822 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $14,031,000 after purchasing an additional 39,870 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.23% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Up 0.3 %

FFBC stock opened at $25.66 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $25.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.04. The company has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.99. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $18.65 and a 12-month high of $28.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 10.32% and a net margin of 18.55%. The business had revenue of $302.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $214.00 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. First Financial Bancorp.’s payout ratio is 41.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 3,700 shares of First Financial Bancorp. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total value of $97,458.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,374 shares in the company, valued at $404,951.16. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total transaction of $97,458.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,374 shares in the company, valued at $404,951.16. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Claude E. Davis sold 29,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.60, for a total value of $771,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 53,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,425,121.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on First Financial Bancorp. from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on First Financial Bancorp. from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th.

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.