Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Friday morning.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on BBVA. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Hsbc Global Res raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Performance

NYSE BBVA opened at $13.73 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $12.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a twelve month low of $9.23 and a twelve month high of $14.84. The company has a market capitalization of $80.13 billion, a PE ratio of 7.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.26.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 a boost from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s payout ratio is presently 39.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Symmetry Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter worth $27,647,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,418,877 shares of the bank’s stock worth $72,111,000 after buying an additional 2,424,880 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 514.5% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 951,350 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $9,247,000 after buying an additional 796,526 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter worth about $7,333,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,108,410 shares of the bank’s stock worth $49,654,000 after acquiring an additional 613,563 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

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.