Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires 23,397 Shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP)

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP - Free Report) by 463.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Popular by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,239 shares of the bank's stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Popular by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 20,953 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,971,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Popular by 0.8% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 19,690 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,974,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Popular by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 30,709 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,888,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. 87.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group began coverage on Popular in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Popular from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Popular from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Popular from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Popular from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $113.00.

Popular Price Performance

NASDAQ:BPOP traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $93.20. The stock had a trading volume of 396,655 shares, compared to its average volume of 438,190. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.89, 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. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $98.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.02.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Popular, Inc. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Popular Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Popular's dividend payout ratio is 32.71%.

Insider Transactions at Popular

In other news, EVP Eduardo J. Negron sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,418,721.32. The trade was a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gilberto Monzon sold 9,600 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now 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. 2.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Popular

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.