Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC) and the best and worst performers in the regional banks industry.

Regional banks, financial institutions operating within specific geographic areas, serve as intermediaries between local depositors and borrowers. They benefit from rising interest rates that improve net interest margins (the difference between loan yields and deposit costs), digital transformation reducing operational expenses, and local economic growth driving loan demand. However, these banks face headwinds from fintech competition, deposit outflows to higher-yielding alternatives, credit deterioration (increasing loan defaults) during economic slowdowns, and regulatory compliance costs. Recent concerns about regional bank stability following high-profile failures and significant commercial real estate exposure present additional challenges.

The 95 regional banks stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.4%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 3.9% on average since the latest earnings results.

First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC)

Tracing its roots back to 1863 during the Civil War era, First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ: FFBC) is a bank holding company that provides commercial banking, lending, deposit services, and wealth management to individuals and businesses.

First Financial Bancorp reported revenues of $251.3 million, up 12.1% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates but a narrow beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Archie Brown, President and CEO, commented on the quarter, "I am very pleased with our record earnings performance for the fourth quarter. Adjusted(1) earnings per share were $0.80, leading to an adjusted(1) return on assets of 1.52%, an adjusted(1) return on tangible common equity ratio of 20.3%. The net interest margin, which declined slightly from the third quarter, has proven resilient as the reduction in funding costs negated most of the impact of short term rate reductions. Balance sheet trends were solid for the quarter with loan growth of 4% on an annualized basis and total average deposits increasing by approximately 7% on an annualized basis, excluding the impact from the Westfield acquisition.

Interestingly, the stock is up 8.3% since reporting and currently trades at $29.46.

Is now the time to buy First Financial Bancorp? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ: MBIN)

With a strategic focus on low-risk, government-backed lending programs, Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQCM:MBIN) is an Indiana-based bank holding company specializing in multi-family mortgage banking, mortgage warehousing, and traditional banking services.

Merchants Bancorp reported revenues of $185.3 million, down 4.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.8%. The business had a stunning quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ net interest income estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 20.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $42.07.

Is now the time to buy Merchants Bancorp? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: The Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBBK)

Operating behind the scenes of many popular fintech apps and prepaid cards you might use daily, The Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBBK) is a bank holding company that specializes in providing banking services to fintech companies and offering specialty lending products.

The Bancorp reported revenues of $172.7 million, up 8.2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 11%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ tangible book value per share estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 14.1% since the results and currently trades at $60.62.

Read our full analysis of The Bancorp’s results here.

Hilltop Holdings (NYSE: HTH)

Transformed from a residential communities business to a financial services powerhouse in 2007, Hilltop Holdings (NYSE: HTH) is a Texas-based financial holding company that provides banking, broker-dealer, and mortgage origination services.

Hilltop Holdings reported revenues of $330.7 million, up 8.9% year on year. This result surpassed analysts’ expectations by 9.7%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter as it also recorded a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is up 4.9% since reporting and currently trades at $38.61.

Read our full, actionable report on Hilltop Holdings here, it’s free.

Lake City Bank (NASDAQ: LKFN)

Dating back to 1872 and deeply rooted in Indiana's communities, Lakeland Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: LKFN) operates Lake City Bank, providing commercial and consumer banking services throughout Northern and Central Indiana.

Lake City Bank reported revenues of $70.91 million, up 9.6% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 1.7%. It was a strong quarter as it also produced a decent beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is up 5.4% since reporting and currently trades at $62.

Read our full, actionable report on Lake City Bank here, it’s free.

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