The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 17,567 Shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 779,287 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 17,567 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in First Financial Bancorp. were worth $19,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,732,162 shares of the bank’s stock worth $149,587,000 after buying an additional 60,612 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in First Financial Bancorp. by 1.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,282,349 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $32,354,000 after acquiring an additional 23,472 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in First Financial Bancorp. by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 901,908 shares of the bank’s stock worth $22,755,000 after acquiring an additional 36,679 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 491,232 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $12,394,000 after acquiring an additional 20,449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 94.0% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 338,711 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,526,000 after purchasing an additional 164,105 shares during the period. 77.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Financial Bancorp. Stock Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ:FFBC opened at $29.53 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $20.07 and a 12-month high of $31.18. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.73 and a beta of 0.99.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $302.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $214.00 million. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 10.32% and a net margin of 18.55%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.38%.

Insider Transactions at First Financial Bancorp.

In other First Financial Bancorp. news, insider James R. Shank sold 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total value of $97,458.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $404,951.16. The trade was a 19.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Richard S. Dennen sold 4,068 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.01, for a total value of $122,080.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 70,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,120,266.52. This represents a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,700 shares of company stock valued at $335,429 over the last three months. 2.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.