First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) reported $272.7 million in revenue for the quarter ended March 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 35.3%. EPS of $0.77 for the same period compares to $0.63 a year ago.
The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $259.5 million, representing a surprise of +5.09%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +10.52%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.70.
While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.
Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.
Here is how First Financial performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Efficiency Ratio: 62.4% compared to the 60.8% average estimate based on three analysts. Net Interest Margin: 4% versus the three-analyst average estimate of 4%. Average Balance - Total earning assets: $19.39 billion versus $18.99 billion estimated by two analysts on average. Net charge-offs to average loans (annualized): 0.4% compared to the 0.3% average estimate based on two analysts. Total Noninterest Income: $81.91 million compared to the $72.16 million average estimate based on three analysts. Net interest income - tax equivalent: $190.8 million compared to the $184.63 million average estimate based on two analysts. Service charges on deposit accounts: $9.01 million compared to the $8.45 million average estimate based on two analysts. Bankcard income: $3.58 million compared to the $3.68 million average estimate based on two analysts.View all Key Company Metrics for First Financial here>>>
Shares of First Financial have returned +5.1% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +9.7% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
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First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).