First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC) Scheduled to Post Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.59 per share for the quarter. Investors that wish to listen to the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The bank reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.01. First Financial Bancorp. had a net margin of 22.94% and a return on equity of 12.16%. The company had revenue of $202.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $207.95 million. On average, analysts expect First Financial Bancorp. to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

Shares of FFBC opened at $20.86 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.75 and a beta of 1.05. First Financial Bancorp. has a fifty-two week low of $17.23 and a fifty-two week high of $24.99. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.41%. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Friday, February 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $26.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Tuesday, April 9th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Money Concepts Capital Corp grew its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 124.1% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 8,123 shares of the bank’s stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 4,499 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 22.9% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 9,271 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $180,000 after buying an additional 1,729 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 7,785 shares of the bank’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $122,000. Finally, Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 27.4% during the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 5,273 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.23% of the company’s stock.

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.