Kentucky Trust Co Takes $76,000 Position in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,821 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $76,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Souders Financial Advisors grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 72,038 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,818,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,525 shares of the bank’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,340 shares of the bank’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring 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 acquiring an additional 975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 77.23% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Richard S. Dennen sold 4,068 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.01, for a total value of $122,080.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 70,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,120,266.52. The trade was a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of FFBC opened at $27.80 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.58 and a beta of 1.02. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12 month low of $20.59 and a 12 month high of $31.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $27.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.76. 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. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 EPS 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio is 40.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

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.