BNP Paribas Financial Markets Decreases Position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) by 66.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,437 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 240,934 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria were worth $1,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BBVA. Symmetry Investments LP purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,647,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,418,877 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $72,111,000 after buying an additional 2,424,880 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter valued at about $7,333,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,208,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments lifted its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 105.5% in the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 539,796 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,247,000 after buying an additional 277,164 shares in the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Trading Up 1.5%

BBVA opened at $15.24 on Tuesday. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.94. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has a 1-year low of $9.23 and a 1-year high of $15.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.05.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47. The business had revenue of $10.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.12 billion. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.10% and a return on equity of 17.49%. Analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $0.4439 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. This is an increase from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.15%.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Profile

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.