Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

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

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note 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 1.5%

Shares of NYSE BBVA opened at $15.24 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.42, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $13.84 and its 200 day moving average is $11.94. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 52 week low of $9.23 and a 52 week high of $15.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.47. The firm had revenue of $10.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.12 billion. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.10% and a return on equity of 17.49%. 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 business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $0.4439 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. This is a positive change 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 39.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 3.5% in the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 22,114 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 19.2% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 4,643 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 25.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,901 shares of the bank’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 20.7% in 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 last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.