Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) Upgraded by Benchmark to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOPGet Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Benchmark to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Popular from $141.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup upped their target price on Popular from $178.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Popular from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group raised their price target on Popular from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Popular from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Popular currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.83.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Popular

Popular Price Performance

Popular stock opened at $171.01 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a PE ratio of 12.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $157.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.89. Popular has a 12 month low of $108.74 and a 12 month high of $171.98.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOPGet Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The bank reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.30 by $0.48. Popular had a net margin of 20.10% and a return on equity of 14.53%. The company had revenue of $816.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.54 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Popular will post 15.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Popular

In related news, Director Alejandro M. Sanchez sold 300 shares of Popular stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.36, for a total transaction of $45,108.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,960 shares in the company, valued at $595,425.60. The trade was a 7.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Cristin Gonzalez-Noguera sold 6,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.51, for a total transaction of $920,762.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,671,480.05. This represents a 35.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 29,500 shares of company stock worth $4,415,870. Company insiders own 2.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Popular

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Popular in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new position in Popular during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Popular by 70.8% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 246 shares of the bank’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Popular in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Popular in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. 87.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Popular Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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Analyst Recommendations for Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP)

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