<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Norges Bank acquired a new position in  First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 87,029 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $2,111,000. Norges Bank owned 0.09% of First Financial Bancorp. as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).</p><p>Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in  First Financial Bancorp. by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 10,413 shares of the bank's stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 1,237 shares during the last quarter.  LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of  First Financial Bancorp. by 2.2% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 69,414 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,734,000 after acquiring an additional 1,516 shares during the period.  PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of  First Financial Bancorp. by 4.0% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,923 shares of the bank's stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the last quarter.  Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of  First Financial Bancorp. in the first quarter worth $16,615,000.  Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of  First Financial Bancorp. by 27.3% in the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 302,830 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,565,000 after acquiring an additional 64,882 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own  77.23% of the company's stock. </p><h2>First Financial Bancorp. Stock Performance</h2><p>NASDAQ:FFBC opened at $26.84 on Thursday. First Financial Bancorp. has a 12-month low of $21.10 and a 12-month high of $30.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of 9.94 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $24.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.83. </p><p>First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The bank reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter. First Financial Bancorp. had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 20.64%.The company had revenue of $234.01 million for the quarter.  Research analysts anticipate that  First Financial Bancorp. will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>First Financial Bancorp. Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. First Financial Bancorp.'s dividend payout ratio  is 37.04%. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>FFBC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Hovde Group began coverage on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an &#34;outperform&#34; rating for the company. Weiss Ratings  reiterated a &#34;buy (b-)&#34; rating on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research note on Monday. Raymond James Financial  reissued an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and set a $28.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of First Financial Bancorp. in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Zacks Research lowered First Financial Bancorp. from a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on First Financial Bancorp. from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued  a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock  has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average price target of $29.50.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on First Financial Bancorp.</b></p><h2>First Financial Bancorp. Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than First Financial Bancorp.</li><li>Procter &amp; Gamble <span>NYSE: PG<span></span></span> Pulls Back After Shaky Guidance</li><li>Market Momentum: 3 Stocks Poised for Major Breakouts</li><li>Pros And Cons Of Monthly Dividend Stocks</li><li>3 Reasons Casey’s General Stores Will Continue Trending Higher</li><li>Investing in Travel Stocks Benefits</li><li>Golden Cross Alert: 3 Stocks With Major Upside Potential</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FFBC?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9RkZCQw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9RkZCQw"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in First Financial Bancorp. Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider First Financial Bancorp., you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and First Financial Bancorp. wasn't on the list.</p><p>While First Financial Bancorp. currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

THFF

<p>Norges Bank acquired 87,029 shares of First Financial Bancorp., valued at $2,111,000, during the second quarter. The bank's stock opened at $26.84, with a 12-month range of $21.10-$30.17. Analysts have given a "Moderate Buy" rating with a $29.50 average price target. A quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share is announced, yielding 3.7% annually.</p>

Norges Bank Purchases Shares of 87,029 First Financial Bancorp. $FFBC