First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC) AI Stock Analysis

First Financial Bancorp. operates as a bank holding company overseeing First Financial Bank across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. Founded in 1863 and based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the bank delivers commercial banking services to retail and corporate clients. Its deposit offerings feature interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing accounts, time deposits, and cash management solutions. The company provides lending products covering residential and commercial real estate, including loans for single-family homes, apartments, and office complexes. It also originates commercial and industrial loans for inventory, receivables, and equipment, along with consumer loans like vehicle financing and second mortgages.

Between FY2021 and FY2025, First Financial Bancorp. expanded revenue from $654.7M to $1.26B, producing a five-year revenue compound annual growth rate of 12.0%. Revenue climbed 18.3% in FY2022, 44.0% in FY2023, and 9.9% in FY2024 before rising 2.7% in FY2025. Operating margin shifted from 36.8% in FY2021 to 25.5% in FY2025, while net margin went from 31.3% to 20.3%. Over the same timeframe, diluted earnings per share expanded from $2.35 to $2.93. In the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2026, revenue stood at $952.9M with a profit margin of 29.9%, while latest quarterly revenue grew 16.5% year over year.

As of June 30, 2026, First Financial Bancorp. held $5.87B in cash and short-term investments alongside total debt of $952.5M, leaving net cash of $4.92B. Shareholders' equity was $2.99B against total assets of $22.44B. The institution recorded a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. In FY2025, operating cash flow reached $337.9M and free cash flow was $317.1M. Capital allocation in FY2025 included $20.8M in capital expenditures and $94.6M distributed in dividends.

At a share price of $31.48, First Financial Bancorp. trades at a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 11.1x and a forward multiple of 8.9x, compared to medians of 12.1x and 10.8x for the median of its US-listed Financial Services peers. Its price-to-sales ratio of 3.5x sits above the peer median of 3.2x, while price-to-book is 1.1x. Over the past year, FFBC shares gained 40.2%, outperforming the 16.8% gain for the S&P 500 (SPY). Over five years, the stock gained 62.3%, trailing the 83.0% return of the benchmark index.

First Financial Bancorp. pays an annualized forward dividend of $1.01 per share, representing a 3.21% dividend yield. The payout ratio stands at 32.9%, backed by 43 consecutive years of dividend payments. Distributions are made quarterly, with the last ex-dividend date on September 1, 2026. The five-year annualized dividend growth rate is 1.3%.

Consensus coverage includes 3 Strong Buy, 1 Buy, and 3 Hold recommendations. The mean price target of $38.00 sits 20.7% above the last closing price of $31.48. For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, analysts estimate earnings per share of $3.21 on revenue of $1.08B. For the following fiscal year, seven analysts project earnings per share of $3.54 and revenue of $1.21B. The company beat earnings per share estimates in 3 of the last 4 quarters, with next earnings scheduled for October 27, 2026.

This page is an AI-written research summary of First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC). The text was generated on October 30, 2026 from Quotelinks data as of October 16, 2026 (company profile, annual results, latest balance sheet, valuation, price performance and analyst estimates). An automatic check rejects any draft that contains a figure not found in that data. It is not investment advice; verify figures on the linked tabs before making decisions.

Related: FFBC income statement, FFBC balance sheet, FFBC key metrics, FFBC analyst forecast, FFBC chart. See the FFBC stock overview for the latest quote and news.