Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.48 EPS

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The bank reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.30 by $0.48, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $822.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $866.54 million. Popular had a net margin of 18.75% and a return on equity of 13.70%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.56 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Popular’s conference call:

• Reported strong quarter with net income of $246 million and EPS of $3.78, driven by higher net interest income, margin expansion and lower operating expenses; ROTCE improved to 15.5% and management raised NII guidance toward the high end of its 5%–7% range.
• Deposits strengthened to $67.6 billion (Puerto Rico public deposits at $19.7 billion) and deposit costs fell, while the company repurchased $155 million of stock and plans further capital actions and a potential dividend increase this year.
• Credit trends remain broadly favorable with NPLs down and the NPL ratio improving to 1.17%, though quarterly net charge-offs rose to $60 million (61 bps) largely from a single commercial relationship; 2026 net charge-off guidance is reiterated at 55–70 bps.
• Operating expenses declined to $467 million driven by lower personnel and seasonal costs, management still plans to invest in technology and transformation while trimming full‑year expense growth guidance to ~2%–3%.

Popular Trading Up 0.7%

Popular stock opened at $149.27 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $138.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $128.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.59. Popular has a 12-month low of $92.93 and a 12-month high of $151.99.

Popular Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 18th were paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 18th. Popular’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BPOP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group raised shares of Popular from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $142.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Popular in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $152.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Popular from $137.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Credit Suisse Group set a $156.00 price objective on shares of Popular in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Popular from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Alejandro M. Sanchez sold 1,451 shares of Popular stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $481,002.75. This trade represents a 29.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Alejandro M. Ballester sold 2,360 shares of Popular stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.50, for a total transaction of $312,700.00. Following the sale, the director owned 57,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,611,992.50. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Popular

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Popular during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new stake in Popular during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Popular by 70.8% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 246 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Popular during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Popular during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors own 87.27% of the company’s stock.

Key Popular News

Here are the key news stories impacting Popular this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS comfortably beat expectations — $3.78 vs. $3.30 consensus, signaling stronger-than-expected profitability and driving positive investor reaction. Earnings Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Solid bottom-line performance: net income ~$245.7M, net margin ~18.8% and ROE ~13.7% — metrics that support valuation (P/E ~12) and justify investor confidence. Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management tone on the earnings call emphasized profitable, cautious growth (investing where returns exceed cost of capital), which reassures investors about capital allocation and risk management. Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and coverage (Zacks, WTOP) provide additional context and metric comparisons for investors doing a deeper review. Zacks Analysis WTOP Snapshot
• Neutral Sentiment: Company webcast slides and press release are available for investors who want line-item detail and management commentary. Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations ($822.6M vs. $866.5M est.), which raises questions about top-line momentum even as margins expand — a potential headwind if trends persist. Investing.com Coverage

About Popular

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.