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

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,250,000 shares, a decline of 26.9% from the February 13th total of 3,080,000 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,300,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Performance

NYSE BBVA traded up $0.57 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $14.37. The company had a trading volume of 2,516,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,747,641. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a fifty-two week low of $9.23 and a fifty-two week high of $14.38. The firm has a market cap of $83.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.74.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.04. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.10% and a return on equity of 17.49%. Equities analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Trading of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBVA. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 20,975 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 862 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,420 shares of the bank’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Seven Mile Advisory raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 20,999 shares of the bank’s stock worth $204,000 after buying an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 21,044 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chickasaw Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Chickasaw Capital Management LLC now owns 43,769 shares of the bank’s stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 1,115 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

About Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

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.