First Financial Bancorp /Oh/ (NASDAQ: FFBC)

Sector: Financial Services Industry: Banks - Regional CIK: 0000708955
Market Cap 2.40 Bn
P/B 0.91
P/E 9.28
P/S 2.83
ROIC (Qtr) 6.97
Div Yield % 4.83
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 18.00
Total Debt (Qtr) 816.99 Mn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.31

About

First Financial Bancorp, or FFBC, operates as a regional bank holding company in the financial services industry, with its headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. Established in 1982, FFBC has built a strong reputation for offering commercial banking and other banking-related activities. These services are primarily provided through its subsidiary, First Financial Bank. First Financial Bancorp has a diversified business model that encompasses commercial lending, real estate lending, consumer financing, and trust and wealth management services. The company's...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Strong tangible asset base of 17.47B provides 21.39x coverage of total debt 816.99M, indicating robust asset backing and low credit risk.
  • Operating cash flow of 289.77M provides strong 18.37x coverage of stock compensation 15.78M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Robust free cash flow of 256.54M exceeds capital expenditure of 33.23M by 7.72x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Operating cash flow of 289.77M provides strong 3.92x coverage of operating expenses 73.83M, showing operational efficiency.
  • Retained earnings of 1.40B represent substantial 0.53x of equity 2.63B, indicating strong internal capital generation.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 289.77M barely covers its investment activities of (359.31M), with a coverage ratio of -0.81, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 289.77M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (92.91M) with a -3.12 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Free cash flow of 256.54M represents just -0.76x of debt issuance (339.21M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.
  • Retained earnings of 1.40B provide limited buffer against comprehensive income items of (223M), which is -6.28x, indicating elevated exposure to market risks.
  • R&D investment of 0 represents just 0x of SG&A expenses of 412.69M, indicating potential underinvestment in innovation relative to administrative overhead.

Peer comparison

Companies in the Banks - Regional
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 USB Us Bancorp \De\ 84.44 Bn 12.40 3.25 77.98 Bn
2 PNC Pnc Financial Services Group, Inc. 84.36 Bn 13.61 3.73 62.34 Bn
3 NU Nu Holdings Ltd. 81.47 Bn 32.21 5.79 4.49 Bn
4 NWG NatWest Group plc 66.53 Bn 9.88 3.05 169.04 Bn
5 TFC Truist Financial Corp 64.60 Bn 13.18 3.53 71.11 Bn
6 MTB M&T Bank Corp 32.73 Bn 12.47 3.60 14.99 Bn
7 FITB Fifth Third Bancorp 31.96 Bn 14.15 3.93 18.94 Bn
8 FCNCA First Citizens Bancshares Inc /De/ 28.98 Bn 12.78 3.26 40.00 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 0.14 0.14
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 9.13 7.21
EV to Debt EV to Debt 3.24 5.20
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 8.56 14.98
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 7.63 8.92
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 10.31 8.87
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.10 1.04
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 3.12 -3.76
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 0.91 1.17
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 9.28 15.63
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 2.78 271.44
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 35.70 35.28
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 0.97 0.89
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 35.87 34.52
Interest Coverage Interest Coverage 0.00 -0.05
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) 60.50 -73.15
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) -13.09 15.78
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 4.30 5.32
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 16.96 110.93
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 11.41 38.80
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 13.29 61.46
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 13.29 61.37
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 16.24 76.34
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 16.54 161.72
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 10.05 14.15
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.05 0.04
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.29 0.26
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio 0.00 0.00
Current Ratio Current Ratio 0.00 0.01
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.31 0.53
Interest Cover Ratio Interest Cover Ratio 0.00 -0.05
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned 0.00 -0.05
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 40.90 147.97
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 36.45 155.41
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 36.45 154.66
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 93.80 97.82
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 30.40 115.63