How to buy First Financial Bancorp stock | $17.06

First Financial Bancorp is a banks-regional business based in the US. First Financial Bancorp shares (FFBC) are listed on the NASDAQ and all prices are listed in US Dollars. First Financial Bancorp employs 2,065 staff and has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$554.4 million.

How to buy shares in First Financial Bancorp

1. Compare share trading platforms. If you're a beginner, look for a platform with low commissions, expert ratings and investment tools to track your portfolio. Narrow down top brands with our comparison table.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and bank information. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
3. Search for First Financial Bancorp. Find the stock by name or ticker symbol: FFBC. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until First Financial Bancorp reaches your desired price. To spread out your purchase, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. At last close price of USD$17.06, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimize risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of First Financial Bancorp, depending on your broker.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of First Financial Bancorp. Optimize your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

First Financial Bancorp share price

Use our graph to track the performance of FFBC stocks over time.

First Financial Bancorp shares at a glance

• Key figures

Information last updated 2020-12-27.

Latest market close	USD$17.06
52-week range	USD$10.3381 - USD$24.2924
50-day moving average	USD$16.9326
200-day moving average	USD$14.4343
Wall St. target price	USD$17.4
PE ratio	10.9365
Dividend yield	USD$0.92 (5.29%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	USD$1.591

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Is it a good time to buy First Financial Bancorp stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Technical Analysis of First Financial Bancorp by TradingView

This chart is not advice or a guarantee of success. Rather, it gauges the real-time recommendations of three popular technical indicators: moving averages, oscillators and pivots. Finder is not responsible for how your stock performs.

First Financial Bancorp price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the close of $17.06 from 2020-12-18

1 week (2021-01-14)	-16.21%
1 month (2020-12-22)	1.85%
3 months (2020-10-21)	23.18%
6 months (2020-07-21)	20.10%

1 year (2020-01-21)	-31.32%
2 years (2019-01-18)	-35.21%
3 years (2018-01-19)	29.2
5 years (2016-01-21)	9.29%

Is First Financial Bancorp under- or over-valued?

Valuing First Financial Bancorp stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of First Financial Bancorp's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

First Financial Bancorp's P/E ratio

First Financial Bancorp's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 11x. In other words, First Financial Bancorp shares trade at around 11x recent earnings.

That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.

First Financial Bancorp's PEG ratio

First Financial Bancorp's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 1.71. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into First Financial Bancorp's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

First Financial Bancorp financials

Revenue TTM	USD$554.4 million
Operating margin TTM	37.04%
Gross profit TTM	USD$582.1 million
Return on assets TTM	1.03%
Return on equity TTM	6.93%
Profit margin	28.17%
Book value	$22.937
Market capitalisation	USD$1.7 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Shorting First Financial Bancorp shares

There are currently 1.4 million First Financial Bancorp shares held short by investors – that's known as First Financial Bancorp's "short interest". This figure is 69.2% up from 841,039 last month.

There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting First Financial Bancorp shares can be evaluated.

First Financial Bancorp's "short interest ratio" (SIR)

First Financial Bancorp's "short interest ratio" (SIR) is the quantity of First Financial Bancorp shares currently shorted divided by the average quantity of First Financial Bancorp shares traded daily (recently around 416215.78947368). First Financial Bancorp's SIR currently stands at 3.42. In other words for every 100,000 First Financial Bancorp shares traded daily on the market, roughly 3420 shares are currently held short.

However First Financial Bancorp's short interest can also be evaluated against the total number of First Financial Bancorp shares, or, against the total number of tradable First Financial Bancorp shares (the shares that aren't held by "insiders" or major long-term shareholders – also known as the "float"). In this case First Financial Bancorp's short interest could be expressed as 0.01% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 First Financial Bancorp shares in existence, roughly 10 shares are currently held short) or 0.02% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable First Financial Bancorp shares, roughly 20 shares are currently held short).

Such a low SIR usually points to an optimistic outlook for the share price, with fewer people currently willing to bet against First Financial Bancorp.

Find out more about how you can short First Financial Bancorp stock.

First Financial Bancorp share dividends

Dividend payout ratio: 55.09% of net profits

Recently First Financial Bancorp has paid out, on average, around 55.09% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 5.29% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), First Financial Bancorp shareholders could enjoy a 5.29% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In First Financial Bancorp's case, that would currently equate to about $0.92 per share.

First Financial Bancorp's payout ratio would broadly be considered high, and as such this stock could appeal to those looking to generate an income. Bear in mind however that companies should normally also look to re-invest a decent amount of net profits to ensure future growth.

First Financial Bancorp's most recent dividend payout was on 15 December 2020. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 30 November 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").

Have First Financial Bancorp's shares ever split?

First Financial Bancorp's shares were split on a 105:100 basis on 7 March 2001. So if you had owned 100 shares the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 105 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your First Financial Bancorp shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 4.8% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for First Financial Bancorp shares which in turn could have impacted First Financial Bancorp's share price.

First Financial Bancorp share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, First Financial Bancorp's shares have ranged in value from as little as $10.3381 up to $24.2924. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NASDAQ average) beta is 1, while First Financial Bancorp's is 1.2257. This would suggest that First Financial Bancorp's shares are a little bit more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a slightly higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).

First Financial Bancorp overview

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 accepts various deposit products, such as interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing accounts, time deposits, and cash management services for commercial customers. It also provides real estate loans secured by residential property or commercial property; commercial and industrial loans for various purposes, including inventory, receivables, and equipment; consumer loans comprising new and used vehicle loans, second mortgages on residential real estate, and unsecured loans; and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company offers commercial financing to the insurance industry, registered investment advisors, certified public accountants, indirect auto finance companies, and restaurant franchisees. Further, it provides a range of trust and wealth management services; and long-term, lease, and equipment financing services. As of December 31, 2019, the company operated 63 banking centers in Ohio; three banking centers in Illinois; 65 banking centers in Indiana; and 14 banking centers in Kentucky. First Financial Bancorp. was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of First Financial Bancorp is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 2.174% of First Financial Bancorp shares are held by insiders and 75.077% by institutions.

• How many people work for First Financial Bancorp?

  Latest data suggests 2,065 work at First Financial Bancorp.

• When does the fiscal year end for First Financial Bancorp?

  First Financial Bancorp's fiscal year ends in December.

• Where is First Financial Bancorp based?

  First Financial Bancorp's address is: 255 East Fifth Street, Cincinnati, OH, United States, 45202

• What is First Financial Bancorp's ISIN number?

  First Financial Bancorp's international securities identification number is: US3202091092

• What is First Financial Bancorp's CUSIP number?

  First Financial Bancorp's Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number is: 320209109