First Financial Ban (FFBC) Stock Analysis & Winston Score

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 accepts various deposit products, such as interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing accounts, time deposits, and cash management services for commercial customers. It also provides real estate loans secured by residential property, such as one to four family residential housi

Winston Score History

Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+25.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+33.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (7%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

1.2%ownership

→ Flat

Insiders holding steady — not selling despite ability to

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$171M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

First Financial Ban is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 25%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Share count broadly stable

−0.1% over 4y

The share count has stayed roughly flat over this period — little dilution or buyback activity.

Diluted shares outstanding: 95.9M (2021) → 95.8M (2025)

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Gross Margin

72.2%

Premium pricing power — 72.2% gross margin

Operating Margin

25.7%

Excellent — 25.7% operating margin

ROCE

2.4%

Weak — 2.4% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

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Growth

Sales YoY

+8.3%

Steady sales growth (8.3% YoY)

EPS YoY

+18.1%

Earnings growing fast (18.1% YoY)

Healthy double-digit earnings growth — what compounders look like.

EPS Consistency

6/8 quarters

Earnings grew in most of the last 8 quarters

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion

298%

Turns 298% of profit into real cash

FCF Margin

59.7%

Converts sales into free cash efficiently (59.7%)

Free cash flow margin above 20%. Out of every $100 in sales, more than $20 is real cash they keep.

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Stability

Debt / Equity

0.32

Conservative — low debt load (0.32)

Interest Cover

0.97x

Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.0x)

Interest coverage below 1. Their profits don't cover the interest bill.

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

12.4x

Attractive valuation — P/E 12.4

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

P/E vs Forward

+1.6

GROWING

Earnings expected to grow — slightly cheaper on forward P/E

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Dividends

Dividend Yield

2.91%

Moderate income — 2.91% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend Growth

+4.2%

Dividend growing modestly (4.2% YoY)

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