UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $5.72 Million Position in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 226,660 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 2,820 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.24% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $5,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 2,976.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 1,935 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,340 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $77,000. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $96,000. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FFBC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stephens raised First Financial Bancorp. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on First Financial Bancorp. from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Insider Activity at First Financial Bancorp.

In related news, insider Scott T. Crawley sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.31, for a total value of $87,930.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $565,067.49. This represents a 13.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider James R. Shank sold 3,700 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the insider now owns 15,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $404,951.16. The trade was a 19.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,700 shares of company stock worth $335,429. Insiders own 2.04% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance

FFBC stock opened at $28.94 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a PE ratio of 12.47 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The business has a 50 day moving average of $27.23 and a 200-day moving average of $25.20. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $20.59 and a 12-month high of $31.18.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $302.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $214.00 million. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 10.32% and a net margin of 18.55%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.67 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.53 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, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. First Financial Bancorp.’s payout ratio is 41.38%.

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.