Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP) Holdings Decreased by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP) by 16.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 44,150 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 8,956 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Popular were worth $4,153,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Popular in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Popular by 56.7% during the fourth 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. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Popular by 56.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 603 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Popular in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Popular in the 4th quarter worth approximately $166,000. 87.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Popular Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of Popular stock opened at $93.06 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.87, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.77. Popular, Inc. has a 1-year low of $80.60 and a 1-year high of $106.81.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.47. Popular had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 11.89%. As a group, research analysts predict that Popular, Inc. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Popular Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Popular’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BPOP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Popular from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com lowered Popular from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Popular from $116.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Popular from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Popular from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Popular currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $113.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Popular news, EVP Gilberto Monzon sold 9,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $4,017,666.90. This trade represents a 19.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Eduardo J. Negron sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were 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 directly owns 32,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,418,721.32. This represents a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.09% of the company’s stock.

Popular Company 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.