First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Shares Sold by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,146 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 917 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in First Financial Bancorp. were worth $972,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Souders Financial Advisors raised its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 0.9% during the third quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 72,038 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,818,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,525 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,340 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 67,175 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 975 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.23% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of FFBC stock opened at $27.97 on Friday. First Financial Bancorp. has a twelve month low of $20.59 and a twelve month high of $31.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $27.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.77. 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 company has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.65 and a beta of 1.02.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.06. First Financial Bancorp. had a net margin of 18.67% and a return on equity of 10.52%. Research analysts forecast that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Richard S. Dennen sold 4,068 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.01, for a total transaction of $122,080.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 70,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,120,266.52. This represents a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.