Bridgewater Associates LP Has $3.61 Million Holdings in Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP)

Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP - Free Report) by 181.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,386 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 24,744 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP owned 0.05% of Popular worth $3,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Popular during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Popular by 56.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 603 shares of the bank's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Popular in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Popular in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $166,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.27% of the company's stock.

Popular Trading Up 6.3 %

BPOP stock traded up $5.62 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $95.10. 378,587 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 608,844. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.27. Popular, Inc. has a 12 month low of $78.23 and a 12 month high of $106.81.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The bank reported $2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.29. Popular had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 14.15%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Popular, Inc. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Popular Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Popular's payout ratio is currently 32.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Eduardo J. Negron sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.02, for a total value of $1,040,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,418,721.32. This trade represents a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Gilberto Monzon sold 9,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.57, for a total value of $984,672.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 39,170 shares in the company, valued at $4,017,666.90. The trade was a 19.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised Popular from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $110.00 to $100.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Popular from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Popular from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Popular from $116.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.57.

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.