Short Interest in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Declines By 35.2%

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,080,000 shares, a drop of 35.2% from the January 31st total of 4,750,000 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,870,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BBVA shares. Hsbc Global Res raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Symmetry Investments LP purchased a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter valued at $27,647,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,418,877 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $72,111,000 after purchasing an additional 2,424,880 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 514.5% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 951,350 shares of the bank’s stock worth $9,247,000 after buying an additional 796,526 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter worth about $7,333,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,108,410 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $49,654,000 after acquiring an additional 613,563 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:BBVA opened at $13.21 on Friday. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 12-month low of $9.23 and a 12-month high of $13.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.30, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.04. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.10% and a return on equity of 17.49%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.