StockNews.com Upgrades Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) to “Buy”

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Friday.

BBVA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE BBVA opened at $14.15 on Friday. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 1 year low of $9.23 and a 1 year high of $14.28. The stock has a market cap of $82.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.65 and a 200 day moving average of $10.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 70,543 shares of the bank’s stock worth $686,000 after buying an additional 6,614 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the fourth quarter worth approximately $223,000. CSS LLC IL bought a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the fourth quarter worth approximately $342,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 122.2% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 307,720 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,991,000 after acquiring an additional 169,220 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 70.9% in the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 557,889 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,423,000 after acquiring an additional 231,431 shares during the period. 2.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.