Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Rating Lowered to “Neutral” at Bank of America

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) was downgraded by analysts at Bank of America from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports.

BBVA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Barclays lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a report on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE BBVA opened at $25.68 on Wednesday. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a twelve month low of $14.63 and a twelve month high of $26.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $23.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.23. The stock has a market cap of $146.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.80.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The bank reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $12.33 billion during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.65% and a net margin of 28.21%. As a group, research analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 103.0% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 125,927 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,715,000 after acquiring an additional 63,880 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 104.6% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 181,639 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,474,000 after acquiring an additional 92,843 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 4.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 17,923 shares of the bank’s stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 9.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 24,063 shares of the bank’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 2,090 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 44.0% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 72,881 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,120,000 after purchasing an additional 22,284 shares during the period. 2.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.