First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The bank reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03, Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $257.17 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $256.18 million. First BanCorp. had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 27.48%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from First BanCorp.’s conference call:

• Management reported a standout 2025 with over $1 billion in revenues, a record $345 million net income (EPS $2.15) and a 1.9% return on assets, driven by revenue growth and operating leverage.
• The bank is aggressively returning capital — repurchasing $150 million of shares in 2025, buying back $50 million in Q4, and raising the quarterly dividend 11% to $0.20, with a run-rate target of ~<$50 million> in buybacks per quarter in 2026.
• Asset quality improved or remained stable as NPAs fell to an all‑time low of 60 basis points of assets, net charge-offs stayed roughly flat (63 bps), and the allowance for credit losses rose modestly to 1.9% of loans.
• Margin and funding dynamics are mixed — NIM was 4.68% (4.65% adjusted), benefited from lower deposit costs and reinvesting maturing securities, and management expects modest NIM expansion of ~2–3 bps per quarter in 2026 despite some downward pressure from repricing of floating commercial loans.

First BanCorp. Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of FBP stock opened at $21.92 on Thursday. First BanCorp. has a fifty-two week low of $16.40 and a fifty-two week high of $22.60. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $20.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.81.

First BanCorp. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. This is a positive change from First BanCorp.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. First BanCorp.’s payout ratio is 34.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FBP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler started coverage on First BanCorp. in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $23.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of First BanCorp. from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of First BanCorp. from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Hovde Group boosted their price target on shares of First BanCorp. from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of First BanCorp. from $24.00 to $24.50 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, First BanCorp. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.25.

Key First BanCorp. News

Here are the key news stories impacting First BanCorp. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — EPS $0.55 vs $0.52 consensus and revenue roughly $257.2M; strong ROE (17.3%) and healthy net margin. This underpins the stock’s fundamental strength and supports the recent re-rating. First BanCorp (NYSE:FBP) Exceeds Q4 CY2025 Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Management announced a bigger capital-return focus (dividend increase and share repurchases); valuation coverage looks to be shifting higher after those moves. This tends to support buy-side interest. A Look At First BanCorp (FBP) Valuation After Record Results Dividend Hike And Share Buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: Company set 2026 targets: 3–5% organic loan growth and a plan to return 100% of earnings to shareholders (via dividends + buybacks). That explicit capital-return policy is shareholder-friendly and can lift multiples. First BanCorp. outlines 3–5% organic loan growth and 100% earnings return
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are hiking targets: Hovde raised its PT to $26 (outperform) and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted its PT to $24.50 (market perform). Those upgrades provide buy-side validation and potential upside from current levels. Benzinga coverage of analyst actions
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript, slide deck and corporate presentation are available for detailed read-through of credit trends, deposit trends and capital allocation choices — useful for modeling but not immediate market-moving by itself. First BanCorp. (FBP) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst write-ups (Zacks, Seeking Alpha) examine key metrics vs. estimates and provide deeper context on loan/deposit/credit performance — helpful for medium-term thesis but largely confirmatory. Zacks: Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Despite positives, the share price dipped today — likely short-term profit-taking after the post-earnings rally and some investors waiting to see execution on buybacks/dividend cadence and loan growth. Momentum/market sentiment could pressure the stock near-term.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First BanCorp.

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of First BanCorp. by 0.4% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 151,294 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,151,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in First BanCorp. by 151.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,873 shares of the bank’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,129 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank raised its position in First BanCorp. by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 313,200 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,906,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of First BanCorp. by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 28,342 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 1,722 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of First BanCorp. by 6.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 34,500 shares of the bank’s stock worth $758,000 after buying an additional 1,959 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.91% of the company’s stock.

First BanCorp. Company Profile

First BanCorp (NYSE: FBP) is a financial holding company headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Through its principal banking subsidiary, FirstBank Puerto Rico, the company offers a comprehensive range of banking services including commercial and consumer lending, deposit products, cash management solutions and treasury services. It also provides mortgage origination and servicing, equipment leasing, investment management, and insurance agency services.

In its commercial banking segment, First BanCorp serves small and midsize enterprises as well as large corporate clients, delivering tailored credit facilities, letters of credit, and foreign trade financing.