First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Shares Bought by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) by 140.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 190,742 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 111,309 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.20% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $4,812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 94.0% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 162.4% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 242,187 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,381,000 after purchasing an additional 149,896 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,792,000. Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 41.1% in the second quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 302,700 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,726,000 after buying an additional 88,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 176.3% in the second quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 127,326 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,820,000 after buying an additional 81,245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.23% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Richard S. Dennen sold 4,068 shares of First Financial Bancorp. stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.01, for a total transaction of $122,080.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 70,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,120,266.52. This trade represents a 5.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider James R. Shank sold 3,700 shares of the business’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 sale, the insider now owns 15,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $404,951.16. This represents a 19.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 11,700 shares of company stock valued at $335,429. Company insiders own 2.04% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance

Shares of FFBC opened at $27.31 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $27.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.50. First Financial Bancorp. has a 52 week low of $20.59 and a 52 week high of $31.18.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. The business 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 last year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. First Financial Bancorp.’s payout ratio is 41.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on First Financial Bancorp. from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens upgraded First Financial Bancorp. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th.

First Financial Bancorp. 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.