2,821 Shares in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Acquired by Kentucky Trust Co

Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,821 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $76,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FFBC. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $300,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $335,000. Inspire Advisors LLC bought a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $216,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 151.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,395 shares of the bank’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 5,055 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $318,000. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial Bancorp.

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider Richard S. Dennen sold 4,068 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,120,266.52. This represents a 5.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FFBC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Friday, January 24th.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance

FFBC stock opened at $27.80 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a 50 day moving average of $27.73 and a 200-day moving average of $26.76. 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, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.06. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 10.52% and a net margin of 18.67%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 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, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.00%.

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.