Vest Financial LLC Purchases New Stake in Popular, Inc. $BPOP

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC acquired 11,753 Popular shares worth approximately $1.83 million in the third quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 87.27% of BPOP.
• Popular reported quarterly EPS of $4.21, beating the $3.95 analyst consensus and rising from $3.14 a year earlier, although revenue of $874.6 million missed estimates.
• The bank increased its quarterly dividend to $0.90 per share, representing a $3.60 annualized payout and a 2.3% yield; analysts maintain an overall “Buy” rating with an average target price of $187.42.

Vest Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 11,753 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $1,827,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BPOP. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Popular by 30.5% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 321 shares of the bank's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Popular by 97.2% during the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 280 shares of the bank's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Popular by 86.7% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,049 shares of the bank's stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in Popular during the third quarter valued at $184,000. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new stake in Popular in the 1st quarter valued at $204,000. Institutional investors own 87.27% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Popular

In related news, EVP Luis E. Cestero sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.36, for a total value of $1,499,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,824,052.68. This trade represents a 34.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Javier D. Ferrer sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.43, for a total transaction of $6,140,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,478 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,925,135.54. The trade was a 26.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 53,561 shares of company stock worth $9,392,259. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Popular Stock Performance

BPOP stock opened at $159.24 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $163.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.38. Popular, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.74 and a fifty-two week high of $179.24. The firm has a market cap of $10.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.63.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The bank reported $4.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.95 by $0.26. Popular had a net margin of 22.36% and a return on equity of 16.08%. The company had revenue of $874.59 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $904.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Popular, Inc. will post 15.70 EPS for the current year.

Popular Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 10th were issued a $0.90 dividend. This is a boost from Popular's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Popular's payout ratio is presently 22.68%.

Key Stories Impacting Popular

Here are the key news stories impacting Popular this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Popular reported third-quarter EPS of $4.21, above analyst expectations of roughly $3.97–$3.98 and well ahead of $3.14 a year earlier. The bank also delivered a 21.37% net margin and 15.34% return on equity. Popular Q3 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted stable credit performance and deposit growth led by key business segments, helping offset concerns about the quarter’s top-line results. BPOP Q3 financial deep dive
• Positive Sentiment: The board maintained Popular’s quarterly cash dividend at $0.90 per share, payable January 4, 2027, to shareholders of record November 13. The unchanged payout signals continued confidence in capital returns. Popular dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of approximately $874.6 million fell short of the roughly $904 million consensus estimate; another report cited revenue of $816 million, reflecting differences in reporting measures. The revenue shortfall limits the impact of the EPS beat. Popular earnings report and conference call
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are scrutinizing Popular’s third-quarter results and credit trends because of its significant Puerto Rico banking exposure, increasing uncertainty around the sustainability of earnings and asset quality. Popular stock faces Puerto Rico scrutiny

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on BPOP shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Popular from $163.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Popular from $200.00 to $192.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on Popular from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Benchmark lifted their target price on Popular from $214.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of Popular in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $187.42.

Popular Profile

Popular, Inc NASDAQ: BPOP is a financial services company headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Its principal subsidiary, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, provides banking services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including deposit accounts, consumer and commercial loans, residential mortgages, credit cards and electronic banking services.

The company also offers investment, brokerage, insurance and wealth management services through specialized subsidiaries and affiliated businesses.

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