Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) Upgraded at UBS Group
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyUBS Group upgraded shares of Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP – Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat reports. UBS Group currently has $160.00 price target on the bank’s stock, up from their prior price target of $142.00.
A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Popular from $146.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of Popular from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Credit Suisse Group set a $156.00 price objective on shares of Popular in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Hovde Group increased their price objective on shares of Popular from $153.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Popular in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.18.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Popular
Popular Stock Performance
Popular stock opened at $146.82 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $137.59 and its 200-day moving average is $126.75. Popular has a 1 year low of $80.00 and a 1 year high of $149.31. The company has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.92, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.59.
Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $3.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.36. Popular had a net margin of 18.75% and a return on equity of 13.70%. The business had revenue of $806.59 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $811.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Popular will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current year.
Popular Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 18th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 18th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Popular’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.35%.
Insider Activity
In other Popular news, Director Alejandro M. Ballester sold 2,360 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.50, for a total transaction of $312,700.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 57,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,611,992.50. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Alejandro M. Sanchez sold 1,451 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.85, for a total transaction of $204,373.35. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $481,002.75. The trade was a 29.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Popular
Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Popular by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 74,594 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $9,331,000 after buying an additional 18,721 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Popular by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,991 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,991,000 after buying an additional 1,296 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Popular during the 4th quarter valued at about $274,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Popular by 88.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 149,185 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $18,577,000 after buying an additional 70,181 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in Popular by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 439,752 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $55,282,000 after buying an additional 147,197 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.27% of the company’s stock.
Popular Company Profile
Popular, Inc, headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a financial holding company and a leading provider of banking services in the United States mainland and Puerto Rico. Through its primary subsidiaries—Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and Popular Bank—the company delivers comprehensive commercial and consumer banking solutions. It offers deposit products, lending facilities, cash management services and payment-processing solutions designed for individuals, small businesses and large corporations.
The company’s product suite encompasses checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential and commercial mortgage loans, business lines of credit and credit cards.