First Financial Bancorp Q4 adjusted EPS hits record $0.80

Overview

• Ohio bank's Q4 adjusted EPS reached a record $0.80

• Record adjusted revenue of $251.3 mln in Q4

• Company closed Westfield acquisition and obtained approval for BankFinancial acquisition

Outlook

• Company did not provide specific guidance for future quarters or years

Result Drivers

• NONINTEREST INCOME - Record noninterest income driven by 36.2% increase in foreign exchange income and 26.4% increase in wealth management income

• LOAN AND DEPOSIT GROWTH - Loan balances increased 4% on an annualized basis, with $1.7 bln increase including Westfield acquisition; deposits rose $1.4 bln

• ACQUISITION IMPACT - Westfield acquisition contributed to increased loan and deposit balances, driving overall growth

Key Details

Analyst Coverage

• The current average analyst rating on the shares is "buy" and the breakdown of recommendations is 3 "strong buy" or "buy", 4 "hold" and no "sell" or "strong sell"

• The average consensus recommendation for the banks peer group is "buy"

• Wall Street's median 12-month price target for First Financial Bancorp is $30.00, about 9.9% above its January 27 closing price of $27.29

• The stock recently traded at 9 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 8 three months ago

Press Release: ID:nPn8gmBw7a

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