Should I Buy FBP? FBP 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy First BanCorp (FBP) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Buy

Latest Price

23.220

1 Day change

1.44%

52 Week Range

23.430

Analysis Updated At

2026/02/04

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Buy now: Trend and momentum are bullish (rising MACD, bullish MA stack), fundamentals just printed strong Q4 results, and options positioning is decisively risk-on.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
- AI Stock Picker: no signal on given stock today.
- SwingMax: No signal on given stock recently.
Near-term expectation: odds favor a small dip over the next week (pattern-based), but the 1-month setup still skews positive; for an impatient buyer, the current price still offers a reasonable momentum entry.

Technical Analysis

Trend: Bullish; moving averages are stacked SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200, consistent with an uptrend.
Momentum: MACD histogram +0.161 and expanding, reinforcing bullish momentum.
Overbought/heat check: RSI_6 at 77.56 signals the stock is stretched short-term (more vulnerable to quick pullbacks).
Key levels:
- Pivot (support reference): 21.942
- Resistance: R1 23.036 (very close overhead), then R2 23.712
- Support: S1 20.847
Pattern-based forward read: ~50% chance of -0.45% next day, -1.08% next week, +4.43% next month (tilts toward a choppy short-term but constructive medium-term).

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Sentiment: Bullish skew—puts are scarce vs calls (OI PCR 0.24, Volume PCR 0.17).
Activity: Today’s options volume 14 vs 30D average implies a surge (466.67%), suggesting fresh attention/positioning.
Positioning: Call OI 83 vs Put OI 20 (call-heavy).
Volatility: Implied vol 30D 94.16 vs historical vol 30.73; IV percentile 84.86 = options are pricing in big moves (good for traders, but also indicates elevated event/uncertainty pricing).

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Strong Q4 print (2025/Q4) with accelerating profitability: EPS and net income up double-digits YoY.
- Street outlook improving: Analysts cite steadier NIM expansion and better expense control; models updated higher net interest income.
- Options market risk-on: Very low put/call ratios and call-heavy open interest support bullish sentiment.
- No negative news flow in the past week to disrupt momentum.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Short-term technical heat: RSI is elevated (~77.6), increasing the chance of a quick pullback/consolidation.
- Overhead resistance nearby: R1 at 23.036 is close to the post-market price (22.94), which can cap immediate upside.
- Options are expensive: Very high IV vs HV suggests the market is already paying up for movement, which can limit risk/reward for new option buyers.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter: 2025/Q4
Revenue: $241.47M, +5.23% YoY (steady top-line growth).
Net income: $87.10M, +15.06% YoY (profitability expanding faster than revenue).
EPS: $0.55, +19.57% YoY (earnings momentum is strong).
Overall: Q4 shows improving operating leverage and a favorable earnings trend.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent changes are net-positive: multiple price target raises following Q4 results.
Piper Sandler (2026-01-30): Neutral, PT $24 (from $23); sees steadier NIM expansion and better expense control; modest EPS lift.
Truist (2026-01-29): Buy, PT $25 (from $24); higher NII driven by higher NIM and lower tax rate.
Keefe Bruyette (2026-01-28): Market Perform, PT $24.50 (from $24).
Wall Street pros/cons view:
- Pros: improving NIM/NII trajectory, better expense discipline, upward revisions.
- Cons: not a unanimous buy—two firms remain neutral/market-perform, implying upside exists but may be more incremental at current levels.

3 Analyst Rating

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 23.5 USD with a low forecast of 23 USD and a high forecast of 24 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.

2 Buy

1 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 22.890

Low

Averages

23.5

High

Current: 22.890

Low

Averages

23.5

High

Piper Sandler

Manuel Navas

Neutral

maintain

$23 -> $24

AI Analysis

2026-01-30

Reason

Piper Sandler

Manuel Navas

Price Target

$23 -> $24

AI Analysis

2026-01-30

maintain

Neutral

Reason

Piper Sandler analyst Manuel Navas raised the firm's price target on First BanCorp to $24 from $23 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares following quarterly results. The firm notes 2026 outlook for more steady net interest margin expansion and better expense control raises its EPS 2%.

Truist

Buy

maintain

$24 -> $25

2026-01-29

Reason

Truist

Price Target

$24 -> $25

2026-01-29

maintain

Buy

Reason

Truist raised the firm's price target on First BanCorp to $25 from $24 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares after its Q4 results. The firm is adjusting its model to reflect higher net interest income driven by a higher net interest margin and a lower tax rate, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

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FBP Should I Buy

FBP Should I Buy

Should You Buy First BanCorp (FBP) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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