Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC Makes New Investment in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,750 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. during the second quarter worth about $1,205,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 69,266 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 5,551 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in First Financial Bancorp. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $300,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in First Financial Bancorp. by 162.4% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 242,187 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,381,000 after acquiring an additional 149,896 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 66.5% in the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 55,865 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,241,000 after acquiring an additional 22,305 shares in the last quarter. 77.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider James R. Shank sold 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total value of $97,458.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $404,951.16. The trade was a 19.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Richard S. Dennen sold 4,068 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.01, for a total value of $122,080.68. Following the sale, the insider now owns 70,652 shares in the company, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,700 shares of company stock valued at $335,429. Corporate insiders own 2.04% of the company’s stock.

First Financial Bancorp. Price Performance

FFBC stock opened at $27.73 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 1.02. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $20.59 and a 12-month high of $31.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $28.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.55.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.06. First Financial Bancorp. had a net margin of 18.55% and a return on equity of 10.32%. As a group, research analysts predict that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on FFBC shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

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.