BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

BBAR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BBVA Banco Frances in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group raised their price target on BBVA Banco Frances from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.50.

BBVA Banco Frances Price Performance

BBAR opened at $15.18 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.88 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $18.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.74. BBVA Banco Frances has a twelve month low of $7.76 and a twelve month high of $22.47.

BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The bank reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $716.56 million for the quarter. BBVA Banco Frances had a net margin of 4.16% and a return on equity of 7.56%. Equities analysts expect that BBVA Banco Frances will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BBVA Banco Frances

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PointState Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of BBVA Banco Frances by 60.5% in the 4th quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 2,668,038 shares of the bank’s stock worth $48,211,000 after buying an additional 1,005,978 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BBVA Banco Frances by 3,633.8% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 613,832 shares of the bank’s stock worth $11,092,000 after acquiring an additional 597,392 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new position in BBVA Banco Frances in the fourth quarter worth $4,042,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in BBVA Banco Frances by 9.8% in the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 2,021,521 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $33,274,000 after acquiring an additional 180,137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP increased its stake in BBVA Banco Frances by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 2,847,061 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $51,446,000 after acquiring an additional 177,799 shares during the last quarter.

BBVA Banco Frances Company Profile

BBVA Banco Francés is one of Argentina’s leading financial institutions, operating as a subsidiary of the global banking group BBVA. The bank provides a full range of retail and commercial banking services to individuals, small and medium?sized enterprises, large corporations and institutional clients. Its product suite spans deposit accounts, mortgages, personal and auto loans, credit and debit cards, transactional banking and digital solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of customers in both urban and regional markets.

Founded in Buenos Aires in the late 19th century, Banco Francés has developed a longstanding presence in Argentina’s financial sector.