First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) & FirstSun Capital Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSUN) Financial Analysis

FirstSun Capital Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSUN) and First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, profitability and institutional ownership.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

77.2% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.5% of FirstSun Capital Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares FirstSun Capital Bancorp and First Financial Bancorp.”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
FirstSun Capital Bancorp	$569.65 million	2.00	$97.94 million	$3.46	11.82
First Financial Bancorp.	$1.26 billion	2.30	$255.60 million	$2.66	11.08

First Financial Bancorp. has higher revenue and earnings than FirstSun Capital Bancorp. First Financial Bancorp. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than FirstSun Capital Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for FirstSun Capital Bancorp and First Financial Bancorp., as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
FirstSun Capital Bancorp	0	1	4	1	3.00
First Financial Bancorp.	0	4	4	0	2.50

FirstSun Capital Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $43.33, suggesting a potential upside of 5.92%. First Financial Bancorp. has a consensus price target of $30.50, suggesting a potential upside of 3.53%. Given FirstSun Capital Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe FirstSun Capital Bancorp is more favorable than First Financial Bancorp..

Profitability

This table compares FirstSun Capital Bancorp and First Financial Bancorp.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
FirstSun Capital Bancorp	17.19%	9.12%	1.19%
First Financial Bancorp.	20.30%	10.77%	1.47%

Risk & Volatility

FirstSun Capital Bancorp has a beta of 0.82, meaning that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Financial Bancorp. has a beta of 1, meaning that its share price has a similar volatility profile to the S&P 500.

Summary

First Financial Bancorp. beats FirstSun Capital Bancorp on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About FirstSun Capital Bancorp

FirstSun Capital Bancorp engages in the provision of commercial banking services. It operates through the following segments: Banking, Mortgage Operations, and Corporate. The Banking segment consists of loans and provides deposits and fee-based services to consumer, business, and mortgage lending customers. The Mortgage Operations segment originates, sells, services, and manages market risk from changes in interest rates on one-to-four family residential mortgage loans to sell and hold. The company is founded on November 9, 1981 headquartered in Denver, CO.

About First Financial Bancorp.

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 offers checking, savings, and money-market accounts; and accepts various deposit products, such as interest-bearing and non-interest-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 housing units or commercial property comprising owner-occupied and/or investor income producing real estate consisting of apartments, shopping centers, and office buildings; commercial and industrial loans for various purposes, including inventory, receivables, and equipment, as well as equipment and leasehold improvement financing for franchisees; consumer loans comprising new and used vehicle loans, second mortgages on residential real estate, and unsecured loans; and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company offers commercial financing to the insurance industry, registered investment advisors, certified public accountants, indirect auto finance companies, and restaurant franchisees. Further, it provides a range of trust and wealth management services; lease and equipment financing services; and currency payments, foreign exchange hedging, and other advisory products. First Financial Bancorp. was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.