Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the four brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria stock opened at $14.49 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $12.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.95. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a fifty-two week low of $9.23 and a fifty-two week high of $14.84. The firm has a market cap of $84.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.01, a P/E/G 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.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.4439 per share. This is a positive change from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s payout ratio is presently 28.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Symmetry Investments LP bought a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,647,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 48.6% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,418,877 shares of the bank’s stock worth $72,111,000 after purchasing an additional 2,424,880 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 514.5% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 951,350 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $9,247,000 after purchasing an additional 796,526 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the fourth quarter valued at about $7,333,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,108,410 shares of the bank’s stock worth $49,654,000 after purchasing an additional 613,563 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.