Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

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

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

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE:BBVA opened at $13.73 on Friday. 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’s 50-day moving average is $12.86 and its 200-day moving average is $11.04. The company has a market cap of $80.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.26. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 52-week low of $9.23 and a 52-week high of $14.84.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities 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 disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.4439 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This is a boost from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s payout ratio is currently 39.23%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BBVA. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans bought a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 3rd quarter worth about $146,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 21.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 377,530 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,092,000 after purchasing an additional 65,852 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. bought a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the third quarter worth about $136,000. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 37.3% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 393,458 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,265,000 after purchasing an additional 106,869 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 304,192 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,367,000 after purchasing an additional 19,314 shares during the period. 2.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Company 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.