Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Buys 33,978 Shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP) by 94.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,907 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,978 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC owned 0.10% of Popular worth $5,737,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Popular by 474.1% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,531,550 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $202,746,000 after buying an additional 2,916,412 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Popular by 394.0% during the second quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,108,132 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $85,249,000 after acquiring an additional 883,818 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Popular by 135.4% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,471,368 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $97,581,000 after acquiring an additional 846,247 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Popular by 11.6% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,880,331 shares of the bank’s stock worth $567,856,000 after acquiring an additional 816,384 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Popular by 21.9% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,382,121 shares of the bank’s stock worth $251,579,000 after acquiring an additional 786,453 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.27% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Popular

In other Popular news, EVP Luis E. Cestero sold 599 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.65, for a total value of $51,304.35. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,529 shares in the company, valued at $2,272,208.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Luis E. Cestero sold 4,641 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.42, for a total value of $391,793.22. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,772 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,260,092.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Luis E. Cestero sold 599 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.65, for a total transaction of $51,304.35. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,529 shares in the company, valued at $2,272,208.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Popular Price Performance

Shares of BPOP opened at $83.20 on Friday. Popular, Inc. has a one year low of $52.32 and a one year high of $89.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a PE ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.82.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The bank reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $702.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $699.76 million. Popular had a return on equity of 12.63% and a net margin of 13.86%. Analysts expect that Popular, Inc. will post 8.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Popular Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 14th were given a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 13th. Popular’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on BPOP shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Popular from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Popular in a report on Friday, March 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $99.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Popular from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com raised Popular from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Popular from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.63.

Popular Profile

Popular, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides various retail, mortgage, and commercial banking products and services in Puerto Rico, the United States, and the British Virgin Islands. The company provides savings, NOW, money market, and other interest-bearing demand accounts; non-interest bearing demand deposits; and certificates of deposit.