Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Sells 9,198 Shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP - Free Report) by 20.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,812 shares of the bank's stock after selling 9,198 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Popular worth $3,368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Popular by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 326 shares of the bank's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Popular in the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Popular by 56.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 603 shares of the bank's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Popular in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $81,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Popular in the 4th quarter valued at $166,000. 87.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Popular Price Performance

Shares of BPOP traded up $0.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $93.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 471,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 438,408. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.93, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $98.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.04. Popular, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $80.60 and a fifty-two week high of $106.81.

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Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.47. Popular had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 14.15%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Popular, Inc. will post 10.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Popular Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Popular's payout ratio is 32.71%.

Insider Activity

In other Popular news, EVP Eduardo J. Negron sold 10,000 shares of the company'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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,866 shares in the company, valued at $3,418,721.32. This represents a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gilberto Monzon sold 9,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.57, for a total transaction of $984,672.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 39,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,017,666.90. This trade represents 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Popular from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Popular from $116.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com raised Popular from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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, UBS Group assumed coverage on Popular in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $104.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Popular presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $113.00.

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.