Key Points
- Insider sale: Director Gregory A. Harris sold 1,821 shares at an average price of $29.43 on Feb. 2 for $53,592, reducing his position by 4.12% to 42,431 shares, as disclosed on an SEC Form 4.
- Earnings beat and analyst optimism: FFBC reported Q4 EPS of $0.80 (vs. $0.78 expected) and revenue of $251.3M (vs. $249M), triggering price target raises (Truist $30; others $32–$34) and a consensus "Moderate Buy" target of $30.50.
- Dividend announced: The company declared a $0.25 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.00) with a yield of about 3.4%, ex-dividend date March 2 and payable March 16.
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First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) insider Gregory Harris sold 1,821 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.43, for a total value of $53,592.03. Following the sale, the insider owned 42,431 shares in the company, valued at $1,248,744.33. The trade was a 4.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.
First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance
First Financial Bancorp. stock opened at $29.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $21.10 and a 12-month high of $29.94.
First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. First Financial Bancorp. had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 10.77%. The firm had revenue of $251.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $249.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.71 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. First Financial Bancorp.'s payout ratio is 37.59%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial Bancorp.
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FFBC. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. MAI Capital Management raised its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 530.6% in the 3rd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,545 shares of the bank's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 2,741.3% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,790 shares of the bank's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,727 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 77.23% of the company's stock.
More First Financial Bancorp. News
Here are the key news stories impacting First Financial Bancorp. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Company update: strong 2025 financial performance. Management published a fourth‑quarter 2025 investor presentation highlighting solid results and momentum that reinforce the bank’s recent earnings beat and guidance — a catalyst for confidence among investors. Investor Presentation
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets. Several firms lifted targets (Truist to $30; other outlets report raises to $32 and $34), which supports upside expectations and likely contributed to buying interest. Truist Note Price Target $32 Price Target $34
- Neutral Sentiment: Community giving — modest PR benefit. First Financial reported donating more than $124,000 to Bloomington causes in 2025, which supports local reputation but has negligible financial impact. Community Donations
- Neutral Sentiment: Short interest shows no meaningful pressure (data appears negligible/garbled). Reported short interest reads as zero shares with a 0.0 days ratio — effectively no short-squeeze risk noted, but the entry looks like a data anomaly and is unlikely to move the stock.
- Negative Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed. Director/insider Gregory A. Harris sold 1,821 shares at about $29.43 (SEC Form 4 filed). The sale is relatively small in dollar terms and follows strong public results, but some investors view insider selling as a mild negative signal. SEC Form 4
Analysts Set New Price Targets
FFBC has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial lifted their target price on First Financial Bancorp. from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research cut First Financial Bancorp. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Hovde Group lifted their price objective on First Financial Bancorp. from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised First Financial Bancorp. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $28.00 target price (down previously from $30.00) on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $30.50.
View Our Latest Stock Report on FFBC
First Financial Bancorp. Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the parent of First Financial Bank. The company provides a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking services through a network of more than 100 full-service banking centers and mortgage offices across Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Its core mission centers on delivering personalized relationship banking to businesses, individuals and public sector clients.
First Financial Bank's product portfolio includes deposit solutions such as checking, savings and money market accounts, alongside a range of lending offerings that cover commercial and industrial loans, real estate and construction financing, home mortgages and home equity lines of credit.
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