Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $4.11 Million in First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 221,079 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $4,110,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned 0.13% of First BanCorp. as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of First BanCorp. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its position in First BanCorp. by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,580 shares of the bank's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in First BanCorp. by 31.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,243 shares of the bank's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in First BanCorp. by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,681 shares of the bank's stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 544 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in First BanCorp. by 394.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,800 shares of the bank's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 3,032 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of First BanCorp. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.80.

First BanCorp. Stock Performance

Shares of FBP traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $19.99. 1,225,593 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,107,574. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.81. The business's 50-day moving average price is $19.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.93. First BanCorp. has a 12 month low of $16.40 and a 12 month high of $22.40.

First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $248.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $243.08 million. First BanCorp. had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 24.37%. The firm's revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.44 EPS. Equities analysts predict that First BanCorp. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.

First BanCorp. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. First BanCorp.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.13%.

About First BanCorp.

First BanCorp. operates as a bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico that provides a range of financial products and services to consumers and commercial customers. The company operates through six segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, Mortgage Banking, Consumer (Retail) Banking, Treasury and Investments, United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations.