Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Shares Sold by Ramirez Asset Management Inc.

Ramirez Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) by 10.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 174,563 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 19,857 shares during the period. Ramirez Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria were worth $1,697,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBVA. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 120.7% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 3,540 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,936 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Avion Wealth purchased a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,420 shares of the bank’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 930 shares during the period. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BBVA opened at $14.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $12.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.81, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.26. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has a 52 week low of $9.23 and a 52 week high of $14.84.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This is a positive change from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BBVA shares. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. 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, StockNews.com lowered Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.