Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,080,000 shares, a drop of 35.2% from the January 31st total of 4,750,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,870,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BBVA. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. 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 report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Performance

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria stock traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $13.41. The company had a trading volume of 2,534,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,173,610. The company’s fifty day moving average is $11.26 and its 200-day moving average is $10.51. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 12-month low of $9.23 and a 12-month high of $13.71. The company has a market capitalization of $78.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its quarterly 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,866 shares of the bank’s stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 1,792 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 37.3% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 393,458 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,265,000 after purchasing an additional 106,869 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 47,217 shares of the bank’s stock worth $459,000 after purchasing an additional 4,302 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 377,530 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,092,000 after buying an additional 65,852 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter worth about $124,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

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.