Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Short Interest Update

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,590,000 shares, a decline of 29.3% from the February 28th total of 2,250,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,550,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on BBVA. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,545 shares of the bank’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 5,735 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 70,543 shares of the bank’s stock worth $686,000 after purchasing an additional 6,614 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. CSS LLC IL bought a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter worth $342,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 122.2% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 307,720 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,991,000 after acquiring an additional 169,220 shares during the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Up 0.8 %

BBVA stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $13.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,864,077 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,819,479. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 52 week low of $9.23 and a 52 week high of $14.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $80.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.59, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.06.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.04. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.49% and a net margin of 28.10%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.4439 dividend. This is an increase from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a yield of 4.3%. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.23%.

About Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, SA provides retail banking, wholesale banking, and asset management services in the United States, Spain, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and internationally. The company offers savings account, demand deposits, and time deposits; and loan products, such as residential mortgages, other households, credit card loans, loans to enterprises and public sector, as well as consumer finance.