Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP) Shares Bought by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP) by 463.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,446 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 23,397 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Popular were worth $2,676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Popular in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Popular by 56.7% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 326 shares of the bank’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Popular during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Popular by 56.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 603 shares of the bank’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Popular during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $81,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.27% of the company’s stock.

Popular Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BPOP opened at $91.37 on Friday. Popular, Inc. has a 1 year low of $80.60 and a 1 year high of $106.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $98.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.12.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.47. Popular had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 14.15%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Popular, Inc. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Popular Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. Popular’s payout ratio is currently 32.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BPOP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Popular from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Popular from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Popular in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $104.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Popular from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Popular from $116.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $113.00.

Insider Transactions at Popular

In other news, EVP Eduardo J. Negron sold 10,000 shares of Popular stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.02, for a total transaction of $1,040,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,866 shares in the company, valued at $3,418,721.32. The trade was a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gilberto Monzon sold 9,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.57, for a total value of $984,672.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 39,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,017,666.90. The trade was a 19.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.09% of the company’s stock.

Popular Profile

Popular, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides various retail, mortgage, and commercial banking products and services in Puerto Rico, the United States, and the British Virgin Islands. The company provides savings, NOW, money market, and other interest-bearing demand accounts; non-interest bearing demand deposits; and certificates of deposit.