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

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) is projected to post its quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, April 24th. Analysts expect First Financial Bancorp. to post earnings of $0.63 per share and revenue of $214.80 million for the quarter. Investors interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share (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 expect First Financial Bancorp. to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance

NASDAQ FFBC opened at $22.40 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. First Financial Bancorp. has a 1-year low of $20.59 and a 1-year high of $31.18. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion, a PE ratio of 9.33 and a beta of 0.85.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.29%. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 7,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.92, for a total value of $189,392.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $277,633.72. This trade represents a 40.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on FFBC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

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.