Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Invests $752,000 in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 33,560 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $752,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of FFBC. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 93.9% in the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 2,065 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,993 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 6,820.5% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,045 shares of the bank’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 3,001 shares during the last quarter. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. during the 4th quarter worth $101,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 72.6% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,077 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 2,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th.

First Financial Bancorp. Trading Up 4.2 %

NASDAQ FFBC traded up $0.99 on Monday, reaching $24.49. The stock had a trading volume of 85,733 shares, compared to its average volume of 334,514. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $17.23 and a 12-month high of $24.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $22.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.48 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The bank reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59. The company had revenue of $287.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $201.79 million. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 20.74%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.76 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. First Financial Bancorp.’s payout ratio is currently 37.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Richard S. Dennen sold 10,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.64, for a total transaction of $248,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 93,152 shares in the company, valued at $2,202,113.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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.