First Financial Bancorp. Raises Quarterly Dividend 4%

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ: FFBC) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share from $0.25, a 4% increase. The shares traded ex-dividend on Sept. 1, 2026.

The increase extends the Cincinnati-based financial-services company’s dividend-growth streak to two consecutive years. First Financial previously reduced its payout in 2014.

The company’s latest regulatory filing does not attribute the dividend decision to a specific operating development. However, it shows that commercial and industrial loans, commercial real-estate loans, home-equity loans and finance leases all increased during the first half of 2026. The filing also reported that First Financial Bank had retained earnings available for distribution to its parent without prior regulatory approval as of the end of the second quarter. First Financial Bancorp. second-quarter Form 10-Q

First Financial operates primarily through First Financial Bank and serves customers in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, according to its quarterly filing. Its geographic reach expanded at the start of 2026 when it completed the acquisition of Chicago-based BankFinancial Corporation. The transaction added consumer-focused locations in the Chicago market, complementing First Financial’s existing commercial and specialty-finance operations there. BankFinancial acquisition closing announcement

What it means for income investors

At the stated share price of $32.67, the stock’s forward annual yield is 3.15%. The dividend carries a safety score of 83 out of 100 and an A grade in the supplied data.

For existing shareholders, the higher quarterly rate increases the cash income attached to each share. The two-year growth run is still relatively short, particularly given the 2014 reduction, but the latest action continues the company’s recent pattern of annual increases. Investors evaluating the payout can monitor earnings, credit quality, capital levels and integration costs from the company’s expansion, all of which can affect a bank’s capacity to sustain distributions over time.