First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Insider Richard S. Dennen Sells 4,068 Shares

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) insider Richard S. Dennen sold 4,068 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.01, for a total transaction of $122,080.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 70,652 shares in the company, valued at $2,120,266.52. This represents a 5.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FFBC opened at $30.34 on Tuesday. 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 1-year low of $19.92 and a 1-year high of $31.18. The company’s fifty day moving average is $26.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08 and a beta of 0.99.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $302.82 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarter last year, the company posted $0.67 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.53 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. First Financial Bancorp.’s payout ratio is currently 41.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial Bancorp.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 94.0% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 338,711 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,526,000 after acquiring an additional 164,105 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 162.4% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 242,187 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,381,000 after purchasing an additional 149,896 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 140.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 190,742 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,812,000 after purchasing an additional 111,309 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,792,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 41.1% during the second quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 302,700 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,726,000 after buying an additional 88,100 shares during the last quarter. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.