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 stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 70,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,120,266.52. The trade was a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

First Financial Bancorp. Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of First Financial Bancorp. stock traded up $0.77 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $30.63. The stock had a trading volume of 104,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 373,877. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $26.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.70. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $19.92 and a 12-month high of $31.18.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $302.82 million during 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 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. First Financial Bancorp.’s payout ratio is currently 41.38%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial Bancorp.

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,271,990 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $57,333,000 after purchasing an additional 34,977 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 140.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter valued at $334,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter valued at $235,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 33.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 132,474 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,342,000 after purchasing an additional 33,390 shares in the last quarter. 77.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased 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 report on Monday, July 29th.

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.