Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Short Interest Update

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 961,000 shares, a decline of 39.6% from the March 15th total of 1,590,000 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,770,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.3 days.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BBVA traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $13.47. 1,591,020 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,884,615. 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 firm has a market cap of $78.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.26. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 1-year low of $9.23 and a 1-year high of $14.84.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a $0.4439 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This is an increase from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.23%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 120.7% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 3,540 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,936 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 96.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,616 shares of the bank’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,778 shares in the last quarter. Avion Wealth acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Barclays PLC acquired a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BBVA shares. Kepler Capital Markets raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.