The stock price of First Bancorp PR (NYSE: FBP) has jumped by 1.07 compared to previous close of 15.01. Despite this, the company has seen a gain of 7.51% in its stock price over the last five trading days. InvestorPlace reported 2023-11-08 that Small-cap stocks have been on a dreadful run over the past decade or so. With the rise of the tech titans, more and more of the market’s total capitalization has gone to just a few firms such as Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) while leaving small companies in the dust.

Is It Worth Investing in First Bancorp PR (NYSE: FBP) Right Now?

The price-to-earnings ratio for First Bancorp PR (NYSE: FBP) is 9.23x, which is above its average ratio. Moreover, the 36-month beta value for FBP is 1.20. Analysts have varying opinions on the stock, with 4 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 0 as “overweight,” 1 as “hold,” and 0 as “sell.”

The average price recommended by analysts for First Bancorp PR (FBP) is $16.30, which is $1.13 above the current market price. The public float for FBP is 168.32M and currently, short sellers hold a 1.77% of that float. On November 16, 2023, FBP’s average trading volume was 1.14M shares.

FBP’s Market Performance

FBP stock saw an increase of 7.51% in the past week, with a monthly gain of 7.97% and a quarterly increase of 6.68%. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.28%, and the volatility levels for the last 30 days are 2.58% for First Bancorp PR (FBP).. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is 10.57% for FBP’s stock, with a 16.59% simple moving average for the past 200 days.

Analysts’ Opinion of FBP

Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for FBP stocks, with Wells Fargo repeating the rating for FBP by listing it as a “Equal Weight.” The predicted price for FBP in the upcoming period, according to Wells Fargo is $14 based on the research report published on December 15, 2022 of the previous year 2022.

FBP Trading at 11.08% from the 50-Day Moving Average

After a stumble in the market that brought FBP to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -2.69% of loss for the given period.

Volatility was left at 2.58%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.28%, as shares surge +9.69% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading +8.98% upper at present.

During the last 5 trading sessions, FBP rose by +7.51%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +12.79% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $13.79. In addition, First Bancorp PR saw 19.26% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further gains.

Insider Trading

Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at FBP starting from Heffern John A., who purchase 3,000 shares at the price of $11.61 back on Mar 15. After this action, Heffern John A. now owns 84,895 shares of First Bancorp PR, valued at $34,827 using the latest closing price.

Dedrick Tracey A, the Director of First Bancorp PR, purchase 500 shares at $12.65 during a trade that took place back on Mar 10, which means that Dedrick Tracey A is holding 25,928 shares at $6,325 based on the most recent closing price.

Stock Fundamentals for FBP

Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:

• +45.13 for the present operating margin

The net margin for First Bancorp PR stands at +30.76. The total capital return value is set at 17.15, while invested capital returns managed to touch 13.75. Equity return is now at value 23.09, with 1.60 for asset returns.

Based on First Bancorp PR (FBP), the company’s capital structure generated 76.64 points at debt to equity in total, while total debt to capital is 43.39. Total debt to assets is 5.39, with long-term debt to equity ratio resting at 33.87. Finally, the long-term debt to capital ratio is 19.17.

When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 2.73, with the company’s debt to enterprise value settled at 0.34. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.08.

Conclusion

To wrap up, the performance of First Bancorp PR (FBP) has been better in recent times. The stock has received a bullish of “buy” and “hold” ratings from analysts. It is worth mentioning that the stock is currently trading in close proximity to its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.