Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Shares Acquired by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) by 189.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 397,979 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 260,472 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria were worth $3,868,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 21.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 377,530 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,092,000 after buying an additional 65,852 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 290,438 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,148,000 after acquiring an additional 18,025 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 348,248 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,775,000 after purchasing an additional 31,600 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 3rd quarter valued at $128,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 233,503 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,531,000 after purchasing an additional 80,267 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Down 0.5 %

BBVA opened at $12.55 on Friday. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has a one year low of $9.23 and a one year high of $14.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.20.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. Analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.4439 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a yield of 4.3%. This is a boost from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.