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

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and 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.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its holdings in First BanCorp. by 48.2% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,580 shares of the bank's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in First BanCorp. by 31.9% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,243 shares of the bank's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in First BanCorp. by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,681 shares of the bank's stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in First BanCorp. by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 16,935 shares of the bank's stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in First BanCorp. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 97.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FBP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of First BanCorp. from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on First BanCorp. from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $22.80.

First BanCorp. Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:FBP traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $21.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,073,904 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,096,146. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. First BanCorp. has a 1 year low of $16.40 and a 1 year high of $22.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $18.89 and a 200-day moving average of $19.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a PE ratio of 11.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.93.

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

First BanCorp. Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. First BanCorp.'s payout ratio is 39.13%.

First BanCorp. Profile

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.