Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded BBVA from “hold” to “strong buy,” although the broader analyst consensus remains “hold,” with six analysts maintaining that rating.
• BBVA shares rose 0.8% to open at $27.15, compared with a 52-week range of $17.90 to $29.64; the bank has a market capitalization of approximately $151.5 billion.
• The bank reported quarterly earnings of $0.62 per share, revenue of $11.99 billion, an 18.05% return on equity and a 27.75% net margin. Institutional investors own 2.96% of its stock.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Zacks reports.

BBVA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America lowered Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Trading Up 0.8%

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria stock opened at $27.15 on Monday. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a 52-week low of $17.90 and a 52-week high of $29.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $28.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.12.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The bank reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 27.75%.The company had revenue of $11.99 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 13.0% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 609,469 shares of the bank's stock valued at $15,273,000 after buying an additional 70,207 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the second quarter valued at about $979,000. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the second quarter worth about $203,000. RFG Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the second quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 48.5% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 224,896 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,636,000 after acquiring an additional 73,417 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.96% of the company's stock.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Company Profile

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, SA NYSE: BBVA is a Spanish multinational financial services group headquartered in Bilbao, Spain. The bank provides retail and commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth management, asset management, payments and insurance services to individuals, businesses, institutions and public-sector clients.

BBVA traces its origins to Banco de Bilbao, founded in 1857. The modern group was formed through the merger of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Argentaria in 1999.

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