First BanCorp Reports Record Q4 2025 Earnings with Strong Guidance
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 27 2026
0mins
Should l Buy FBP?
Source: seekingalpha
- Strong Performance: First BanCorp reported a net income of $87 million for Q4 2025, translating to $0.55 per share and an impressive return on assets of 1.8%, highlighting significant improvements in revenue and operational efficiency that further solidify its market position.
- Loan Growth: The bank originated $1.4 billion in loans during the quarter, with total loans increasing by $80 million, primarily driven by growth in commercial segments, which not only enhances client support capabilities but also lays a foundation for future revenue growth.
- Dividend Increase: The Board approved an 11% increase in the quarterly common stock dividend to $0.20 per share, reflecting a robust capital return strategy, with over 28% of outstanding shares repurchased since the buyback program began in 2021, demonstrating a strong commitment to shareholders.
- Outlook Guidance: Management anticipates organic loan growth of 3% to 5% in 2026 while maintaining a 52% or better efficiency ratio, indicating a focus on sustaining asset quality while continuing to prioritize profitability and shareholder returns.
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Analyst Views on FBP
Wall Street analysts forecast FBP stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for FBP is 23.50 USD with a low forecast of 23.00 USD and a high forecast of 24.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
3 Analyst Rating
2 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 22.890
Low
23.00
Averages
23.50
High
24.00
Current: 22.890
Low
23.00
Averages
23.50
High
24.00
About FBP
First BanCorp. is a financial holding company. As of December 31, 2016, the Company controlled two subsidiaries: FirstBank Puerto Rico (the Bank or FirstBank) and FirstBank Insurance Agency, Inc. (FirstBank Insurance Agency). It operates in six segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, which consists of lending and other services; Consumer (Retail) Banking, which consists of consumer lending and deposit-taking activities; Mortgage Banking, which consists of the origination, sale, and servicing of a range of residential mortgage loan products and related hedging activities; Treasury and Investments, which consists of treasury and investment management functions; United States Operations, which consists of all banking activities conducted by FirstBank on the United States mainland, and Virgin Islands Operations, which consists of banking activities conducted by FirstBank in the United States Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, including retail and commercial banking services.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Strong Performance: First BanCorp reported a net income of $87 million for Q4 2025, translating to $0.55 per share and an impressive return on assets of 1.8%, highlighting significant improvements in revenue and operational efficiency that further solidify its market position.
- Loan Growth: The bank originated $1.4 billion in loans during the quarter, with total loans increasing by $80 million, primarily driven by growth in commercial segments, which not only enhances client support capabilities but also lays a foundation for future revenue growth.
- Dividend Increase: The Board approved an 11% increase in the quarterly common stock dividend to $0.20 per share, reflecting a robust capital return strategy, with over 28% of outstanding shares repurchased since the buyback program began in 2021, demonstrating a strong commitment to shareholders.
- Outlook Guidance: Management anticipates organic loan growth of 3% to 5% in 2026 while maintaining a 52% or better efficiency ratio, indicating a focus on sustaining asset quality while continuing to prioritize profitability and shareholder returns.
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- Earnings Performance: First BanCorp's Q4 GAAP EPS of $0.55 exceeded expectations by $0.04, demonstrating robust profitability growth amid challenging market conditions.
- Stable Revenue Growth: The company reported revenue of $257.17 million, reflecting a 6.5% year-over-year increase, aligning with market expectations and indicating stable business performance.
- Increased Credit Loss Reserves: The provision for credit losses rose to $23 million from $17.6 million a year earlier, highlighting the company's cautious approach to potential credit risks in its portfolio.
- Significant Core Deposit Growth: Core deposits, excluding brokered and government deposits, increased by $266.5 million to $13.1 billion, primarily driven by non-interest-bearing deposits in the Puerto Rico region, thereby strengthening the company's funding base.
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- Options Market Volatility: The options market is experiencing heightened volatility due to the upcoming Federal Reserve policy decision, with some stocks showing implied volatility nearing 50% ahead of earnings reports.
- Capitol Federal Financial: CFFN is set to report earnings on January 28, with analysts expecting earnings per share of 15 cents and revenue of $57.51 million, reflecting a significant implied move of 48.48%.
- Other Bank Stocks: Stocks like First Financial Bancorp and Provident Financial Services are also seeing implied moves exceeding 39%, indicating cautious market sentiment regarding their earnings performance.
- Market Reaction: Overall, the market is reacting strongly to the impending earnings reports, particularly among regional banks, highlighting investor concerns over future earnings uncertainty and potential risks.
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- Earnings Release Date: First BanCorp is set to announce its Q4 earnings on January 27 before market open, with a consensus EPS estimate of $0.51, reflecting a 10.9% year-over-year increase, which could further solidify its market performance.
- Revenue Expectations: The anticipated revenue for Q4 is $257.07 million, representing a 6.5% year-over-year growth; however, the revenue estimates have seen five downward revisions in the last three months, indicating cautious market sentiment regarding growth.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, First BanCorp has beaten EPS estimates 100% of the time and has exceeded revenue estimates 63% of the time, demonstrating the company's stability in profitability.
- Expectation Adjustment Dynamics: In the last three months, EPS estimates have experienced four upward revisions and one downward revision, reflecting fluctuations in analyst confidence regarding the company's earnings potential, while revenue estimates have not seen any upward adjustments, indicating market divergence on future performance.
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- Dividend Increase: First BanCorp has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, marking an 11.1% increase from the previous $0.18, indicating ongoing improvements in profitability and cash flow that bolster investor confidence.
- Yield Performance: The forward yield of 3.87% not only attracts income-seeking investors but also enhances the stock's market appeal, potentially driving an increase in share price as demand rises.
- Payment Schedule: The new dividend will be payable on March 13, with a record date of February 26 and an ex-dividend date also set for February 26, ensuring shareholders receive timely returns and reinforcing shareholder relations.
- Rating Upgrade: Following the dividend increase, Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating on First BanCorp has improved, reflecting market optimism regarding the company's future growth potential, which may attract more institutional investors' interest.
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- Earnings Outlook: As earnings season approaches, companies like Dave Inc. (DAVE) have shown strong performance in EPS revisions, achieving an A+ rating that indicates robust upward adjustments in analyst earnings expectations, suggesting potential outperformance in upcoming results.
- Leading Quant Ratings: According to Seeking Alpha's Quant Ratings system, Dave Inc. leads with a score of 4.83, followed closely by Hagerty (HGTY) at 4.82 and Valley National Bancorp (VLY) at 4.74, highlighting their superior performance across critical metrics such as valuation, growth, and profitability.
- Investment Opportunities: These highly rated mid-cap financial stocks present compelling investment opportunities, especially in the current economic climate, allowing investors to leverage quantitative analysis tools for better assessment of potential returns.
- Positive Market Sentiment: Seeking Alpha's rating system categorizes scores of 3.5 and above as bullish, with many companies currently rated above this threshold, reflecting optimistic market sentiment towards mid-cap financial stocks, which may drive stock prices higher.
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