Popular, Inc. (BPOP) – What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $186.00.

BPOP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Hovde Group initiated coverage on shares of Popular in a report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating and a $171.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Popular from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $190.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Popular in a report on Monday, October 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Popular from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Popular from $214.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st.

Popular Stock Performance

BPOP traded down $0.62 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $157.88. 316,685 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 532,538. Popular has a one year low of $109.01 and a one year high of $179.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $159.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.75.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The bank reported $4.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.95 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $874.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.43 million. Popular had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 22.36%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.14 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Popular will post 16.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Popular Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. Popular’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Popular news, VP Adorno Rodriguez sold 600 shares of Popular stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.79, for a total transaction of $101,274.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $420,624.68. The trade was a 19.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Popular

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Popular by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,008 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in Popular by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 18,635 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,808 shares in the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Popular during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new stake in Popular during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $400,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new stake in Popular during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $237,000. 87.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Popular Company Profile

Popular, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1893, it provides banking and other financial services primarily in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. Its principal subsidiary, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, serves individuals and businesses with consumer and commercial banking, mortgage lending, and related financial services. Popular also operates Popular Bank in the mainland United States and provides auto financing through Popular Auto. Ignacio Alvarez is Popular’s president and chief executive officer.