First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Stock Position Decreased by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lowered its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) by 2.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 779,287 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 17,567 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.82% of First Financial Bancorp. worth $19,661,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FFBC. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 94.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 338,711 shares of the bank’s stock worth $7,526,000 after purchasing an additional 164,105 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 162.4% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 242,187 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,381,000 after buying an additional 149,896 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 41.1% during the second quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 302,700 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,726,000 after acquiring an additional 88,100 shares during the period. Choreo LLC grew its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 176.3% during the second quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 127,326 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,820,000 after acquiring an additional 81,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,013,000. 77.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Financial Bancorp. Trading Down 0.6 %

First Financial Bancorp. stock opened at $29.53 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.73 and a beta of 0.99. 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 50-day moving average price of $26.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.90. First Financial Bancorp. has a 52-week low of $20.07 and a 52-week high of $31.18.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 10.32% and a net margin of 18.55%. The business had revenue of $302.82 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $214.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Financial Bancorp.

In related news, insider Scott T. Crawley sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.31, for a total transaction of $87,930.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,279 shares in the company, valued at $565,067.49. This represents a 13.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Richard S. Dennen sold 4,068 shares of the firm’s 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 $2,120,266.52. The trade was a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,700 shares of company stock worth $335,429 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.04% of the company’s stock.

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.