Short Interest in First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) Decreases By 24.3%

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,337,746 shares, a decrease of 24.3% from the December 31st total of 3,089,387 shares. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 899,776 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 899,776 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Key First Financial Bancorp. News

Here are the key news stories impacting First Financial Bancorp. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company update: strong 2025 financial performance. Management published a fourth‑quarter 2025 investor presentation highlighting solid results and momentum that reinforce the bank’s recent earnings beat and guidance — a catalyst for confidence among investors. Investor Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets. Several firms lifted targets (Truist to $30; other outlets report raises to $32 and $34), which supports upside expectations and likely contributed to buying interest. Truist Note Price Target $32 Price Target $34
• Neutral Sentiment: Community giving — modest PR benefit. First Financial reported donating more than $124,000 to Bloomington causes in 2025, which supports local reputation but has negligible financial impact. Community Donations
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest shows no meaningful pressure (data appears negligible/garbled). Reported short interest reads as zero shares with a 0.0 days ratio — effectively no short-squeeze risk noted, but the entry looks like a data anomaly and is unlikely to move the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed. Director/insider Gregory A. Harris sold 1,821 shares at about $29.43 (SEC Form 4 filed). The sale is relatively small in dollar terms and follows strong public results, but some investors view insider selling as a mild negative signal. SEC Form 4

Insider Transactions at First Financial Bancorp.

In related news, CEO Archie M. Brown sold 11,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.80, for a total value of $308,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 229,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,147,678.80. This represents a 4.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gregory A. Harris sold 1,821 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.43, for a total value of $53,592.03. Following the sale, the insider owned 42,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,248,744.33. This trade represents a 4.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,821 shares of company stock valued at $669,992. 1.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Financial Bancorp.

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in First Financial Bancorp. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,714,000. Gator Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. during the third quarter valued at approximately $5,603,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,929,185 shares of the bank’s stock worth $273,448,000 after purchasing an additional 215,357 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 47.7% in the third quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 559,488 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $14,127,000 after purchasing an additional 180,575 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Financial Bancorp. by 110.5% in the second quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 324,852 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,881,000 after purchasing an additional 170,540 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on FFBC. Zacks Research downgraded First Financial Bancorp. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of First Financial Bancorp. from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $28.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of First Financial Bancorp. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Financial Bancorp. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.50.

First Financial Bancorp. Trading Up 1.0%

FFBC traded up $0.29 on Tuesday, reaching $29.46. 1,111,253 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,145,402. First Financial Bancorp. has a twelve month low of $21.10 and a twelve month high of $29.94. The company’s 50 day moving average is $26.30 and its 200-day moving average is $25.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 1.00.

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. First Financial Bancorp. had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 10.77%. The company had revenue of $251.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $249.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.71 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

First Financial Bancorp. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. First Financial Bancorp.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.59%.

About First Financial Bancorp.

First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the parent of First Financial Bank. The company provides a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking services through a network of more than 100 full-service banking centers and mortgage offices across Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Its core mission centers on delivering personalized relationship banking to businesses, individuals and public sector clients.

First Financial Bank’s product portfolio includes deposit solutions such as checking, savings and money market accounts, alongside a range of lending offerings that cover commercial and industrial loans, real estate and construction financing, home mortgages and home equity lines of credit.