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

Amundi raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) by 186.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 48,119 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 31,310 shares during the quarter. Amundi’s holdings in First Financial Bancorp. were worth $1,273,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,340 shares of the bank’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 67,175 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 975 shares during the period. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 37,505 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,008,000 after buying an additional 1,537 shares during the last quarter. 77.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance

Shares of FFBC stock opened at $24.90 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $20.59 and a 12-month high of $31.18. The business’s 50 day moving average is $27.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.91. The company has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.38 and a beta of 0.99.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. First Financial Bancorp.’s payout ratio is 40.00%.

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.