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First Financial Bancorp

First Financial Bancorp

FFBC
$35.72USD↓-1.27%-0.46 today

MARKET CAP

3.7B

P/E (TTM)

12.6x

FWD P/E

10.5x

DAY RANGE

$36 – $36

52W RANGE

$23
$36

AI Summary

Stalk
StalkMedium

FFBC is in a Stage 2 advancing uptrend with intact higher highs and higher lows, but the price is extended and overbought following a double top formation, making immediate entry unfavorable. A more favorable execution approach is to wait for a pullback into the rising 9- and 21-EMA zone or the 50-day moving average to confirm support before buying.

  • ↑Q1 EPS $0.77, +22% YoY on a 3.99% net interest margin
  • ↑Revenue $265.3M vs. $257.97M est; tangible book $16.15 (+2.6% QoQ)
  • ↓Net charge-offs 35 bps raise asset-quality concerns and drag profits
Full analysis →

The case for & against

Bull & Bear analysis

Bullish

First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC) is a regional financial institution offering a diverse range of banking services across Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. With a strategic focus on operational efficiency and customer engagement, the bank has been expanding its footprint through acquisitions, such as Westfield Bank and Bank Financial, aimed at capturing growth opportunities primarily in the Midwest, including the Chicago market. The bank’s commitment to enhancing its lending and wealth management capabilities positions it favorably in the competitive financial landscape.

Bull says

  • ↑Q1 EPS $0.77, +22% YoY on a 3.99% net interest margin
  • ↑Revenue $265.3M vs. $257.97M est; tangible book $16.15 (+2.6% QoQ)
  • ↑Quarterly dividend $0.25 (2.9% yield) underscores shareholder returns
  • ↑6–8% loan growth guidance and wealth management expansion ahead
  • ↑Westfield & Bank Financial deals to unlock synergy-driven gains
  • ↑High earnings yield, strong quality score and low price volatility

Bear says

  • ↓Net charge-offs 35 bps raise asset-quality concerns and drag profits
  • ↓~30% of ICRE balances exited, creating headwinds for loan growth
  • ↓Intense competition with aggressive pricing compresses net interest margins
  • ↓Stock trades ~3.7% above intrinsic valuation, risking correction
  • ↓Negative profitability and weak size factors signal operational strain
  • ↓Low institutional ownership and negative short-interest score limits support

Investment themes with FFBC

High Dividend Yield↑ +0.32%

Companies paying above-average dividends

AVGO · JPM · XOM
Regional Banks↑ +0.50%

FLG · TCBI · ZION

Earnings Call · Q1 2026 · Mgmt. Guidance

Updated 04-24-2026neutral

Transcript signals

Bull points

  • The first quarter results were excellent and included strong earnings, record revenues driven by a robust net interest margin, and higher than expected fee income.
  • Total average deposit balance has increased $1.7 billion, including $1.2 billion acquired in the bank financial transaction and the full quarter impact from Westfield.
  • We maintain 20% of our total deposit balances and non-interest-bearing accounts and remain focused on growing lower cost deposit balances.

Bear points

  • Our ACL coverage decreased slightly during the quarter to 1.36% of total loans, and we recorded $8.5 million of provision expense during the period, which was driven primarily by net charge-offs.
  • net charge-offs were 35 basis points on an annualized basis, an increase of 8 basis points from the fourth quarter
  • our ACL model resulted in a total allowance which includes both funded and unfunded reserves, of $207 million, which includes $3.1 million of initial allowance on the bank financial portfolio. This resulted in an ACL that was 1.36% of total loans, which was a three basis point decline from the fourth quarter.
Read full transcript analysis ›