Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores (NYSE:AVAL) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. (NYSE:AVAL) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $4.37 and last traded at $4.3590, with a volume of 67218 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $4.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AVAL shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Citigroup upgraded Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average is $3.60 and its 200-day moving average is $3.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.02 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.0115 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dauntless Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores during the 1st quarter worth approximately $161,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. increased its stake in shares of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores by 172.8% in the first quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. now owns 93,160 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 59,006 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its position in Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores by 37.4% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 20,129 shares of the bank’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 5,484 shares during the period. Finally, Stokes Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores by 51.5% during the 2nd quarter. Stokes Family Office LLC now owns 62,129 shares of the bank’s stock worth $175,000 after buying an additional 21,129 shares during the period. 0.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores Company Profile

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores SA provides a range of financial services and products to public and private sector customers in Colombia and Central America. It offers traditional deposit services and products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, time deposits, and other deposits. The company also provides commercial loans comprising general purpose loans, working capital loans, leases, loans funded by development banks, corporate credit cards, and overdraft loans; consumer loans, such as payroll loans, personal loans, automobile and other vehicle loans, credit cards, overdrafts, leases, and general purpose loans; and microcredit and mortgage loans.