First Financial Bancorp.
- Open
- 35.76
- Day high
- 36.15
- Day low
- 35.70
- Prev close
- 36.18
- Volume
- 3.3M
- Mkt cap
- $3.7B
- P/E (TTM)
- 12.4
- EPS (TTM)
- $2.87
- P/B
- 1.3
- P/S
- 2.8
- Yield
- 2.80%
- Per share
- $1.00
- ▼Insiders net selling -$1.3M over the last 3 months (0 open-market buys, 4 sales)
- 🏛Institutions accumulating (13F)
First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC) is a Financial Services company listed on NASDAQ. The stock is up 44% over the past year. Over the trailing 3 months, insiders filed 0 open-market buys and 4 sales (SEC Form 4).
First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC) financials & analyst ratings
Fundamentals (TTM)
Analyst consensus · 3 analysts
Source: exchange market data + company filings. Figures are trailing-twelve-month or as most recently reported. For informational purposes only — not investment advice.
FFBC earnings date, history & EPS estimates
| Report date | EPS est | EPS actual | Surprise | Revenue | Rev. surprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 2026 | $0.70 | $0.77 | +10.0% | $272M | +5.3% |
| Jan 28, 2026 | $0.79 | $0.80 | +1.3% | $239M | -8.1% |
| Oct 23, 2025 | $0.73 | $0.76 | +3.5% | $256M | +11.3% |
| Jul 24, 2025 | $0.69 | $0.74 | +7.2% | $226M | +0.9% |
| Apr 24, 2025 | $0.63 | $0.63 | +0.0% | $200M | -6.8% |
| Jan 23, 2025 | $0.65 | $0.71 | +9.2% | $224M | +6.6% |
| Oct 24, 2024 | $0.66 | $0.55 | -16.7% | $201M | -6.1% |
| Jul 25, 2024 | $0.59 | $0.64 | +8.5% | $215M | +3.7% |
| Apr 25, 2024 | $0.59 | $0.53 | -10.2% | $195M | -2.5% |
| Jan 25, 2024 | $0.61 | $0.60 | -1.6% | $201M | -0.7% |
| Jul 20, 2023 | $0.69 | $0.69 | +0.0% | $212M | -0.2% |
| Apr 20, 2023 | $0.71 | $0.74 | +4.2% | $215M | +5.2% |
FFBC insider trading activity (SEC Form 4)
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 2026 | OBRIEN THOMAS MURRAYdirector | Grant | 80 | $33.83 |
| Jul 2, 2026 | Porter Andre Tdirector | Grant | 160 | $33.83 |
| Jul 2, 2026 | Rahe Maribeth Sdirector | Grant | 468 | $33.83 |
| Jul 2, 2026 | Arvia Anne Ldirector | Grant | 468 | $33.83 |
| Jun 9, 2026 | Brown Archie Mdirector, officer: President & CEO | Sell | 10,000 | $30.93 |
| May 29, 2026 | MORRIS DAWN Cdirector | Sell | 740 | $30.90 |
| May 28, 2026 | Porter Andre Tdirector | Grant | 2,328 | $31.15 |
| May 28, 2026 | Berta Vincedirector | Grant | 2,328 | $31.15 |
| May 28, 2026 | DAVIS CLAUDE Edirector, other: Chair of the Board | Grant | 2,328 | $31.51 |
| May 28, 2026 | MORRIS DAWN Cdirector | Grant | 2,328 | $31.15 |
| May 28, 2026 | Arvia Anne Ldirector | Grant | 2,328 | $31.15 |
| May 28, 2026 | OBRIEN THOMAS MURRAYdirector | Grant | 2,328 | $31.15 |
| May 28, 2026 | Warzala Gary Wdirector | Grant | 2,328 | $31.15 |
| May 28, 2026 | Rahe Maribeth Sdirector | Grant | 2,328 | $31.15 |
| May 28, 2026 | kramer william jdirector | Grant | 2,328 | $31.15 |
Source: FFBC SEC Form 4 filings, latest Jul 2, 2026. For informational purposes only — not investment advice.
See the full FFBC insider & 13F page →First Financial Bancorp. company profile
Overview
First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) is a regional bank holding company founded in 1863 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company operates through its primary subsidiary, First Financial Bank, which provides commercial banking and related financial services across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. With over 160 years of history, First Financial has grown from a local community bank into a multi-state regional financial institution with approximately $18.6 billion in total assets as of December 2024. The company operates 139 full-service banking centers across its four-state footprint and has expanded its reach through strategic acquisitions and organic growth initiatives in recent years.
Business
First Financial Bancorp operates in the regional banking industry, providing traditional commercial banking services alongside specialized financial offerings. The company's core business revolves around accepting deposits from individuals and businesses and lending those funds to borrowers while earning a spread on the interest rates. The company's primary revenue-generating activities include: 1. Traditional Banking Services (~75-80% of revenue): This includes accepting various deposit products such as checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and money market accounts. On the lending side, the bank provides residential mortgages, commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, consumer loans including auto financing, and home equity lines of credit. 2. Specialty Finance Operations (~10-15% of revenue): Through acquisitions, First Financial has diversified into specialized lending areas including Summit Funding (equipment financing), Bannockburn (foreign exchange and trade finance services), and Agile Premium Finance (insurance premium financing). These specialty units serve niche markets and typically generate higher margins than traditional banking. 3. Wealth Management and Trust Services (~5-10% of revenue): The bank provides investment advisory services, trust administration, estate planning, and other wealth management solutions primarily to high-net-worth individuals and businesses. 4. Fee-Based Services (~5-10% of revenue): This includes bank card income, service charges on deposit accounts, mortgage banking fees, and other transaction-based revenue streams. The banking industry operates on the fundamental principle of maturity transformation - taking short-term deposits and making longer-term loans while managing the inherent interest rate and credit risks involved in this business model.
Revenue model
First Financial Bancorp generates revenue primarily through net interest income - the difference between what it earns on loans and investments versus what it pays on deposits and borrowed funds. This spread, measured as net interest margin, was 3.94% in Q4 2024. The company's revenue streams include: 1. Interest Income from Loans: The largest revenue source, with loan yields in the high 7% range (7.75-7.80%) as of recent quarters. The bank's $11.8 billion loan portfolio includes commercial real estate, commercial and industrial loans, residential mortgages, and consumer loans. 2. Fee-Based Income: Non-interest income totaling approximately $70 million quarterly, including foreign exchange services through Bannockburn, equipment leasing income, wealth management fees, deposit service charges, and mortgage banking income. 3. Specialty Finance Revenue: Higher-margin income from Summit Funding's equipment financing and Agile Premium Finance's insurance premium financing operations. The bank's customers include commercial businesses requiring lending and cash management services, individual consumers seeking traditional banking products, and specialized clients in niche markets served by the company's specialty finance units. Several factors influence the company's profitability margins: Margin-Enhancing Factors: Rising interest rates generally benefit the bank's asset-sensitive balance sheet, strong loan demand in growing markets, successful cross-selling of fee-based services, and the higher margins generated by specialty finance operations. Margin-Pressuring Factors: Increasing competition for deposits leading to higher funding costs, potential credit losses during economic downturns, regulatory compliance costs, and the need for continued technology investments to remain competitive with larger banks and fintech companies.
Competitive moat
First Financial Bancorp operates in the highly competitive regional banking sector, where traditional moats are relatively narrow compared to other industries. The company's competitive advantages are modest but meaningful within its geographic markets. The bank's primary defensive characteristics include its established local market presence across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois, where it has built long-term customer relationships and brand recognition over its 160-year history. This local presence provides some protection against purely digital competitors, as many commercial clients value face-to-face relationships for complex banking needs. The company's diversified specialty finance operations through Bannockburn, Summit Funding, and Agile Premium Finance provide some differentiation from traditional community banks. These businesses serve specialized niches with higher barriers to entry and typically generate superior margins compared to traditional banking. However, the company's moat is fundamentally narrow and vulnerable to several competitive threats. Large national banks possess significant advantages in technology investment, product breadth, and cost of funds. Credit unions often offer more attractive deposit rates to consumers. Emerging fintech companies are increasingly capturing market share in lending, payments, and other banking services through superior digital experiences and streamlined processes. The regulatory environment creates both protection and vulnerability - while banking regulations limit new entrants, they also impose significant compliance costs that favor larger institutions with economies of scale. First Financial's mid-size position leaves it potentially disadvantaged against both larger banks with superior resources and smaller community banks with lower cost structures and more intimate local relationships. Geographic concentration in the Midwest exposes the company to regional economic cycles, and the bank lacks the diversification benefits of truly national institutions. The company's competitive position depends heavily on execution of its market expansion strategy and successful integration of specialty finance acquisitions.
Risks & safety
First Financial Bancorp presents a moderate margin of safety profile typical of well-managed regional banks, though with some areas requiring attention. • Liquidity and Solvency: Strong cash position with $904 million in cash and short-term investments. Debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45 is reasonable for a bank. No immediate solvency concerns given stable deposit base of $14.3 billion. • Asset Quality: Non-performing assets at 0.36% of total assets indicate good credit quality. Net charge-offs at 30 basis points are manageable. Classified assets at 1.21% of total assets remain within acceptable ranges. • Valuation Metrics: Trading at P/E ratio of 9.8x and price-to-book of 1.04x, suggesting reasonable valuation relative to earnings and book value. Graham number of approximately $20 indicates potential undervaluation at current levels. • Profitability: Return on equity of 2.7% (quarterly) appears low but reflects seasonal patterns. Full-year ROE of 9.4% is more representative of normal operations. • Capital Adequacy: Strong capital generation with $241 million in free cash flow for 2024. Regular dividend payments with payout ratio maintained within management's 35-40% target range. • Other Considerations: Interest rate sensitivity creates earnings volatility risk. Regional economic exposure and competitive pressures from larger banks and fintech companies pose ongoing challenges to profitability and growth.
Recent development
Over the past few years, First Financial Bancorp has pursued a strategic transformation from a traditional community bank into a more diversified regional financial services company. The most significant development has been the company's aggressive acquisition strategy to build specialty finance capabilities. The bank completed the acquisition of Agile Premium Finance in 2024, adding insurance premium financing to its portfolio of specialized lending services. This followed earlier acquisitions of Summit Funding (equipment financing) and the expansion of Bannockburn's foreign exchange and trade finance operations. These specialty units now contribute meaningfully to both loan growth and fee income, with management expecting Agile alone to reach $1.5 billion in loan volume over the next 3-4 years. Geographic expansion has been another key strategic initiative. The company has entered new markets including Chicago, Cleveland, Evansville, and Grand Rapids through commercial banking team additions rather than traditional branch expansion. This approach allows the bank to capture commercial relationships in attractive markets while maintaining cost discipline. The company has also undertaken significant operational efficiency initiatives, eliminating 145 positions in 2024 while continuing to invest in growth areas. Management projects $10-12 million in annual expense reductions from these efforts while maintaining service quality and growth capacity. Technology and digital banking improvements have been ongoing, though the company has not disclosed major platform overhauls. The focus appears to be on enhancing existing capabilities rather than revolutionary changes. Management has expressed increased optimism about potential merger and acquisition opportunities, particularly targeting banks in the $1-5 billion asset range within or adjacent to current markets. The anticipated regulatory environment changes could facilitate more deal activity in the regional banking sector.
FFBC company profile · for informational purposes only — not investment advice.
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