Which Is a Better Investment, First Financial Bancorp or Intercorp Financial Services Inc Stock?

By AAII Staff
August 02, 2026
Large versus logo comparing two stocks in the same industry
Featured Tickers:

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. or Intercorp Financial Services 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. and Intercorp Financial Services Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About First Financial Bancorp. and Intercorp Financial Services 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.

Intercorp Financial Services Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides banking, insurance, wealth management, and payment services for retail and commercial clients in Peru. The company offers loans, credit facilities, deposits, and current accounts; life annuity products with single payment and life insurance products, as well as other retail insurance products; and brokerage and investment management services. It also engages in the development, management, operation, and processing of credit and debit cards; facilitation of payments and services through commercial stores; and installation and maintenance of infrastructure for transactions through electronic commerce modality and networks of payment methods processors. In addition, the company manages mutual funds and investment funds; and provides investment consultancy and related services. The company was incorporated in 1897 and is headquartered in Lima, Peru. Intercorp Financial Services Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Intercorp PerĂº Ltd.

Latest Banks and First Financial Bancorp., Intercorp Financial Services Inc. Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, First Financial Bancorp. had a $3.6 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $716.9 million. First Financial Bancorp.’s stock is up 35.2% in 2026, down 0.1% in the previous five trading days and up 38.14% in the past year.

Currently, First Financial Bancorp.’s price-earnings ratio is 12.0. First Financial Bancorp.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $917.2 million with a 29.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 32.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.200 per share for the current fiscal year. First Financial Bancorp. currently has a 3.1% dividend yield.

As of July 31, 2026, Intercorp Financial Services Inc. had a $6.4 billion market cap, putting it in the 71st percentile of all stocks. Intercorp Financial Services Inc.’s stock is up 37.7% in 2026, down 2.4% in the previous five trading days and up 62.51% in the past year.

Currently, Intercorp Financial Services Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 10.8. Intercorp Financial Services Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.7 billion with a 35.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 31.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.954 per share for the current fiscal year. Intercorp Financial Services Inc. currently has a 3.1% dividend yield.

How We Compare First Financial Bancorp. and Intercorp Financial Services 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. and Intercorp Financial Services Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

Learn more about A+ Investor here!

Sign Up to Receive a Free Special Report Showing How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Smarter Investment Decisions

First Financial Bancorp. and Intercorp Financial Services Inc. Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
First Financial Bancorp. FFBC A
Intercorp Financial Services Inc. IFS F

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

First Financial Bancorp. has a Growth Score of 95, which is Very Strong. Intercorp Financial Services Inc. has a Growth Score of 20, which is Very Weak.

The Growth Grade Winner: First Financial Bancorp.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, First Financial Bancorp. has a more attractive growth grade than Intercorp Financial Services Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, First Financial Bancorp. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

First Financial Bancorp. and Intercorp Financial Services Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
First Financial Bancorp. FFBC F
Intercorp Financial Services Inc. IFS F

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks 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 the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

First Financial Bancorp. has a Quality Score of 9, which is Very Weak. Intercorp Financial Services Inc. has a Quality Score of 8, which is Very Weak.

The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither First Financial Bancorp. or Intercorp Financial Services Inc. has a high enough Quality Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are 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. or Intercorp Financial Services Inc. is the better investment when it comes to quality.

First Financial Bancorp. and Intercorp Financial Services Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
First Financial Bancorp. FFBC B
Intercorp Financial Services Inc. IFS A

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 71, which is Strong. Intercorp Financial Services Inc. has a Momentum Score of 86, which is Very Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Intercorp Financial Services Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Intercorp Financial Services Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to First Financial Bancorp.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Intercorp Financial Services Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other First Financial Bancorp. and Intercorp Financial Services Inc. Grades

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

AAII Platinum Banner

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

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.

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. and Intercorp Financial Services 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. or Intercorp Financial Services Inc. Stock?

Overall, First Financial Bancorp. stock has a Growth Score of 95, Momentum Score of 71 and Quality Score of 9.

Intercorp Financial Services Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 20, Momentum Score of 86 and Quality Score of 8.

Comparing First Financial Bancorp. and Intercorp Financial Services 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.

Learn More About A+ Investor

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.



Find New Stock Opportunities With Included With AAII Platinum
O'Neil CAN SLIM Screen: 38.3% Compared to S&P 500
at only 23.3%

Since Inception. Data as of 12/31/2024.




Try AAII Platinum and get full access to
769.3% Stock Superstars Portfolio Total Return Since Inception
Compare to:
710.3% iShare DOW Jones
U.S. Index ETF (IYY)

SSR Group 3 O'Shaughnessy portfolio has a 411.2% gain since inception performance compared to IYY at only 119.1%% Performance as of 11/29/24.

Get your free copy of our special report analyzing the tech stocks most likely to outperform the market.

Download the FREE Report Here:

BECOME A MEMBER FOR ONLY $2

Get access to powerful investment discovery tools and a wealth of investment education to help you achieve your financial goals.