How to buy First Financial Bancorp stock | $23.65

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 2,107 staff and has a trailing 12-month revenue of around 0.00.

First Financial Bancorp stock price (NASDAQ: FFBC)

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

First Financial Bancorp shares at a glance

• Key figures

Information last updated 2021-10-23.

Latest market close	$23.65
52-week range	$12.91 - $26.12
50-day moving average	$23.23
200-day moving average	$23.85
Wall St. target price	$24.60
PE ratio	11.6132
Dividend yield	$0.92 (3.83%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	$2.12

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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.

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 $23.65 from 2021-10-27

1 week (2021-10-21)	-1.50%
1 month (2021-09-28)	1.03%
3 months (2021-07-28)	4.69%
6 months (2021-04-28)	-4.44%

1 year (2020-10-28)	71.63%
2 years (2019-10-28)	-0.92%
3 years (2018-10-26)	25.31
5 years (2016-10-28)	10.77%

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 12x. In other words, First Financial Bancorp shares trade at around 12x 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	$645.7 million
Operating margin TTM	40.64%
Gross profit TTM	$575.1 million
Return on assets TTM	1.3%
Return on equity TTM	9.21%
Profit margin	31.98%
Book value	$47.32
Market capitalisation	$2.4 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Shorting First Financial Bancorp shares

There are currently 2.0 million First Financial Bancorp shares held short by investors – that's known as First Financial Bancorp's "short interest". This figure is 20.9% down from 2.5 million 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 408606.04166667). First Financial Bancorp's SIR currently stands at 4.8. In other words for every 100,000 First Financial Bancorp shares traded daily on the market, roughly 4800 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 0.02% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 First Financial Bancorp shares in existence, roughly 20 shares are currently held short) or 0.0284% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable First Financial Bancorp shares, roughly 28 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: 34.59% of net profits

Recently First Financial Bancorp has paid out, on average, around 34.59% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 3.83% 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 3.83% 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.

While First Financial Bancorp's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that First Financial Bancorp may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.

First Financial Bancorp's most recent dividend payout was on 14 September 2021. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 30 August 2021 (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 6 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 $12.9097 up to $26.122. 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 1.1587. 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, such as one to four family residential housing units or commercial property comprising owner-occupied and/or investor income producing real estate consisting of apartments, shopping centers, or office buildings; 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 lease and equipment financing services. As of December 31, 2020, the company operated 143 full service banking centers, 32 of which are leased facilities.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of First Financial Bancorp is owned by insiders or institutions?
Currently 2.089% of First Financial Bancorp shares are held by insiders and 76.208% by institutions. How many people work for First Financial Bancorp?
Latest data suggests 2,107 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