First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Insider Richard S. Dennen Sells 932 Shares

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) insider Richard S. Dennen sold 932 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total value of $27,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 74,720 shares in the company, valued at $2,241,600. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ FFBC traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $29.01. The stock had a trading volume of 81,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 375,620. The company has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $25.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. First Financial Bancorp. has a 52 week low of $19.92 and a 52 week high of $30.11.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $302.82 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $214.00 million. First Financial Bancorp. had a net margin of 18.55% and a return on equity of 10.32%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on FFBC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th.

Institutional Trading of First Financial Bancorp.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 63.9% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 1,732 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 2,976.9% in the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,935 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 23.1% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,340 shares of the bank’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 627 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the second quarter worth $77,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.23% 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.