AIA Group Ltd Sells 1,247 Shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP)

AIA Group Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Popular, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,574 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,247 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Popular were worth $336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BPOP. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Popular in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its position in shares of Popular by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 326 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Popular by 56.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 603 shares of the bank’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Popular during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $81,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Popular in the 4th quarter valued at $166,000. Institutional investors own 87.27% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Gilberto Monzon sold 9,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.57, for a total transaction of $984,672.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 39,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,017,666.90. The trade was a 19.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eduardo J. Negron sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.02, for a total transaction of $1,040,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,418,721.32. This trade represents a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Popular Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ BPOP opened at $91.11 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $6.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.64, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.77. Popular, Inc. has a 12 month low of $80.60 and a 12 month high of $106.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $97.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.88.

Popular (NASDAQ:BPOP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.47. Popular had a net margin of 14.15% and a return on equity of 11.89%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Popular, Inc. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Popular Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. Popular’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Popular from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Popular from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Popular in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Popular from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Popular from $116.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Popular presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $113.00.

About Popular

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.