Nuveen Asset Management LLC Has $7.07 Million Stock Holdings in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC – Get Rating) by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 335,233 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 6,896 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in First Financial Bancorp. were worth $7,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. in the second quarter worth approximately $82,000. Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $92,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 290.6% during the 3rd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 4,722 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 3,513 shares during the period. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 27.4% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 1,883.6% in the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 6,030 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 5,726 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.35% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

Shares of FFBC stock opened at $22.15 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $24.65 and its 200 day moving average is $24.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89. First Financial Bancorp. has a 1-year low of $18.75 and a 1-year high of $26.72. The company has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 1.06.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.05. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 10.74% and a net margin of 28.09%. The company had revenue of $245.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.77 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 1st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 28th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.15%. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.83%.

Insider Activity

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider Claude E. Davis sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.55, for a total transaction of $638,750.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 75,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,939,398.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 2.11% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Profile

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First Financial Bancorp operates as a bank holding company. The firm operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Financial Bank, which engages in the provision of commercial banking, financial and other related activities. It operates through the following business lines: Commercial, Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, Wealth Management, Investment Commercial Real Estate, and Commercial Finance.