Sifting through countless of stocks in the Banks industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in First Financial Bancorp., WaFd or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc.

First Financial Bancorp. operates as the bank holding company for First Financial Bank that provides commercial banking and banking-related services to individuals and businesses in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. The company offers checking and savings accounts; and accepts various deposit products, such as interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts, time deposits, and cash management services for retail and 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, such as 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 secured commercial financing services 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, currency payments, foreign exchange hedging, commodities hedging, and other advisory products. First Financial Bancorp. was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

WaFd, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Washington Federal Bank that provides lending, depository, insurance, and other banking services in the United States. The company provides deposit products, including business and personal checking accounts, and term certificates of deposit, as well as money market accounts and passbook savings accounts. It offers single-family residential, construction, land acquisition and development, consumer lot, multi-family residential, commercial real estate, home equity, business, and consumer loans, as well as commercial and industrial loans. In addition, the company offers insurance brokerage services, such as individual and business insurance policies; holds and markets real estate properties; and debit and credit cards, as well as acts as the trustee. Additionally, it provides technology and data services; and personalized financial guidance and investment services. It serves consumers, mid-sized and large businesses, and owners and developers of commercial real estate. The company was formerly known as Washington Federal, Inc. and changed its name to WaFd, Inc. in September 2023. WaFd, Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Latest Banks and First Financial Bancorp., WaFd, Inc. Stock News

As of September 1, 2026, First Financial Bancorp. had a $3.4 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $730.8 million. First Financial Bancorp.’s stock is NA in 2026, NA in the previous five trading days and up 20.92% in the past year.

Currently, First Financial Bancorp.’s price-earnings ratio is 11.3. First Financial Bancorp.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $952.9 million with a 29.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 16.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.200 per share for the current fiscal year. First Financial Bancorp. currently has a 3.2% dividend yield.

Currently, WaFd, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 11.2. WaFd, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $761.1 million with a 33.7% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 5.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.225 per share for the current fiscal year. WaFd, Inc. currently has a 3.1% dividend yield.

How We Compare First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
First Financial Bancorp.	FFBC	B
WaFd, Inc.	WAFD	B

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

First Financial Bancorp. has a Value Score of 67, which is Value. WaFd, Inc. has a Value Score of 77, which is Value.

The Value Stock Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Value Grade breakdown above, both First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc. have a Value Grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, you will need to conduct further research into both of these companies’ other metrics to see if they could be good additions to your portfolio. It’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
First Financial Bancorp.	FFBC	C
WaFd, Inc.	WAFD	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

First Financial Bancorp. has a Momentum Score of 60, which is Average. WaFd, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 48, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither First Financial Bancorp., WaFd or Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if First Financial Bancorp., WaFd or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
First Financial Bancorp.	FFBC	C
WaFd, Inc.	WAFD	C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

First Financial Bancorp. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 41, which is Neutral. WaFd, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 49, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither First Financial Bancorp., WaFd or Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if First Financial Bancorp., WaFd or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

Other First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc. Grades

In addition to Momentum, Value and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Quality.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, First Financial Bancorp., WaFd or Inc. Stock?

Overall, First Financial Bancorp. stock has a Value Score of 67, Momentum Score of 60 and Estimate Revisions Score of 41.

WaFd, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 77, Momentum Score of 48 and Estimate Revisions Score of 49.

Comparing First Financial Bancorp., WaFd and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.