Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on BBVA. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria stock opened at $25.00 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.92. The firm has a market cap of $144.05 billion, a PE ratio of 13.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.82. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a 52 week low of $10.77 and a 52 week high of $25.06.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $10.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.47 billion. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.58% and a return on equity of 17.07%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 103.0% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 125,927 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,715,000 after purchasing an additional 63,880 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 104.6% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 181,639 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,474,000 after buying an additional 92,843 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 17,923 shares of the bank’s stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 24,063 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 2,090 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 18.4% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 41,180 shares of the bank’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 6,413 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

About Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) is a Spanish multinational financial services group headquartered in Bilbao, Spain. The bank traces its roots to several historic regional banks and was formed through a series of mergers that consolidated its position as one of Spain’s largest banking groups. BBVA operates as a universal bank offering a broad range of financial services to retail, corporate and institutional clients.

BBVA’s core businesses include retail and commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, private banking and wealth management, asset management, and insurance.