Popular, Inc. $BPOP is Polaris Capital Management LLC's Largest Position

Key Points

• Polaris Capital cut its stake in Popular by 23.0% in Q4 to 682,330 shares, leaving Popular as its largest holding (~7.1% of the fund) and representing roughly 1.02% of Popular valued at about $84.96 million.
• Q1 results showed an EPS beat ($3.78 vs. $3.30) and ~38% higher net income, but revenue missed and loans/provisions raised near-term concerns; analysts have nonetheless raised targets (e.g., KBW to $177) and the consensus price target sits near $168 with a "Moderate Buy" average rating.
• Popular pays a quarterly dividend of $0.75 (annualized $3.00), implying a ~2.0% yield and a payout ratio around 24%.

Polaris Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP - Free Report) by 23.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 682,330 shares of the bank's stock after selling 204,200 shares during the quarter. Popular accounts for about 7.1% of Polaris Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Polaris Capital Management LLC owned approximately 1.02% of Popular worth $84,964,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BPOP. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Popular by 56.2% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,962,871 shares of the bank's stock valued at $376,314,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065,452 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Popular by 18.9% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,779,309 shares of the bank's stock valued at $225,990,000 after acquiring an additional 283,000 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Popular by 34.3% in the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 954,968 shares of the bank's stock valued at $121,290,000 after acquiring an additional 244,108 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Popular by 13.2% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 501,673 shares of the bank's stock valued at $63,717,000 after acquiring an additional 58,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Popular by 46.4% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 457,259 shares of the bank's stock valued at $58,076,000 after acquiring an additional 144,822 shares in the last quarter. 87.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Popular news, Director Alejandro M. Sanchez sold 1,451 shares of Popular stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.85, for a total transaction of $204,373.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at $481,002.75. The trade was a 29.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Alejandro M. Ballester sold 2,360 shares of Popular stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.50, for a total value of $312,700.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 57,449 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,611,992.50. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 2.13% of the company's stock.

Popular Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BPOP opened at $147.04 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.59. Popular, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.93 and a 52-week high of $151.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $138.53 and a 200 day moving average of $128.28.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The bank reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.30 by $0.48. Popular had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 20.10%.The company had revenue of $822.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $866.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.56 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Popular, Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Popular Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 18th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 18th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Popular's payout ratio is 24.35%.

Popular News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Popular this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS and profitability surprise — Popular reported $3.78 EPS (well above the $3.30 consensus) and net income jumped ~38%, driven by higher net interest and fee income and cost control, which supports near-term earnings power. Popular Inc (BPOP) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and price-target lift — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its target from $155 to $177 and kept an "outperform" rating, implying meaningful upside if execution continues. That upgrade adds buy-side support. KBW raises Popular price target to $177
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend investor interest — Recent coverage highlights Popular as an attractive dividend stock, which can sustain investor demand and reduce volatility versus pure growth names. Why Popular (BPOP) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings-call tone: cautious growth — Management emphasized profitable, cautious growth and strategic investments; investors will be watching guidance and capital deployment rather than one-time items. Popular Inc. Earnings Call Signals Profitable, Cautious Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss, loan declines and higher provisions — Revenue came in below some forecasts, loans declined year-over-year, and credit provisions were elevated, creating near-term balance-sheet and growth concerns that likely pressured the stock. Popular Q1 Earnings Top Estimates on Higher NII, Expenses Decline Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed metrics leave room for short-term volatility — Despite the EPS beat, the combination of a revenue shortfall and cautious commentary means investors may de-risk until loan trends and provisions stabilize. Popular (BPOP) Q1 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BPOP shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Popular from $141.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Credit Suisse Group set a $156.00 price target on Popular in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial raised their price target on Popular from $153.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research lowered Popular from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Popular from $155.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $168.00.

Popular Company Profile

Popular, Inc, headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a financial holding company and a leading provider of banking services in the United States mainland and Puerto Rico. Through its primary subsidiaries—Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and Popular Bank—the company delivers comprehensive commercial and consumer banking solutions. It offers deposit products, lending facilities, cash management services and payment-processing solutions designed for individuals, small businesses and large corporations.

The company's product suite encompasses checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential and commercial mortgage loans, business lines of credit and credit cards.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.