Truist Financial Increases First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Price Target to $30.00

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) had its price target lifted by analysts at Truist Financial from $29.00 to $30.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the bank’s stock. Truist Financial’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 1.83% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently commented on FFBC. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on First Financial Bancorp. from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded First Financial Bancorp. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $28.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Monday, October 27th. Hovde Group raised their target price on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.50.

First Financial Bancorp. Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of FFBC opened at $29.46 on Monday. The firm 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89. First Financial Bancorp. has a 1-year low of $21.10 and a 1-year high of $29.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $26.30 and a 200 day moving average of $25.41.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $251.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $249.00 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.71 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at First Financial Bancorp.

In other news, CEO Archie M. Brown sold 11,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.80, for a total transaction of $308,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 229,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,147,678.80. This represents a 4.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gregory A. Harris sold 1,821 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,248,744.33. This represents a 4.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 24,821 shares of company stock valued at $669,992. 1.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FFBC. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in First Financial Bancorp. in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 530.6% in the 3rd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,545 shares of the bank’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,727 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about First Financial Bancorp.

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

First Financial Bancorp. Company Profile

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.