Insider Trading February 17, 2026

First Financial Bancorp General Counsel Sells 10,000 Shares, Receives $302,800

Transaction recorded on Form 4 follows the bank's record Q4 earnings and new analyst coverage from Brean Capital

By Priya Menon FFBC
First Financial Bancorp General Counsel Sells 10,000 Shares, Receives $302,800
FFBC

Karen B. Woods, General Counsel and CAO of First Financial Bancorp (FFBC), disposed of 10,000 shares on February 13, 2026, in a transaction valued at $302,800. The sale was reported in a Form 4 filing with the SEC. The move comes amid the company reporting record fourth-quarter results and the initiation of coverage by Brean Capital with a Neutral rating.

Key Points

  • Insider transaction: Karen B. Woods sold 10,000 shares at $30.28 each on February 13, 2026, for $302,800.
  • Quarterly performance: First Financial Bancorp reported record Q4 2025 adjusted EPS of $0.80 and revenue of $251.3 million.
  • Analyst initiation: Brean Capital started coverage with a Neutral rating and set a $33.00 price target; its EPS forecasts for FY26 and FY27 are slightly below consensus.

Karen B. Woods, who holds the roles of General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer at First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC), sold 10,000 shares of the bank's common stock on February 13, 2026, according to a Form 4 submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The shares changed hands at $30.28 each, producing gross proceeds of $302,800.

Following the disposition, Woods retains direct ownership of 63,954 shares of First Financial Bancorp. In addition to those direct holdings, she has an indirect interest in 100 shares held as UTMA Custodian for her daughter, as disclosed in the filing.

The insider transaction coincides with recent quarterly results released by the company. First Financial Bancorp reported record earnings for the fourth quarter of 2025, delivering adjusted earnings per share of $0.80. That figure exceeded the previously projected $0.56. The company also recognized revenue of $251.3 million for the quarter, a level described as slightly above expectations.

Separately, Brean Capital announced that it has initiated coverage of First Financial Bancorp with a Neutral rating and assigned a price target of $33.00. Brean analyst John Rodis provided earnings per share estimates for fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027 of $3.10 and $3.30, respectively. Those estimates are slightly below the current consensus figures cited for the same periods, which are $3.13 for FY26 and $3.40 for FY27.

Taken together, the Form 4 filing, the fourth-quarter financial results, and the new analyst coverage represent discrete, reported developments that market participants can consider when assessing First Financial Bancorp. These recent developments provide investors with important insights into First Financial Bancorp's financial performance and market positioning.


Summary of the transaction and related corporate developments

  • Insider sale: 10,000 shares sold by Karen B. Woods on February 13, 2026, at $30.28 per share, totaling $302,800, as reported on a Form 4.
  • Post-transaction holdings: Woods directly owns 63,954 shares and indirectly owns 100 shares as UTMA Custodian for her daughter.
  • Quarterly results: First Financial Bancorp reported adjusted EPS of $0.80 for Q4 2025 and revenue of $251.3 million.
  • Analyst coverage: Brean Capital initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and a $33.00 price target; John Rodis provided EPS estimates of $3.10 for FY26 and $3.30 for FY27 versus consensus of $3.13 and $3.40, respectively.

Risks

  • Insider selling can alter the proportion of executive-held shares and may be viewed as a change in insider ownership; this pertains to the banking and financial services sector.
  • Analyst estimates from Brean Capital for FY26 and FY27 are slightly below consensus, indicating forecasting differences that could lead to volatility in investor expectations; this affects equity market perceptions.
  • While reported revenue was slightly above expectations for Q4 2025, future results are not detailed in the filing and remain uncertain, which is a consideration for investors in regional banking equities.

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