Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Cut to "Neutral" at Bank of America

Key Points

• Bank of America downgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) from “buy” to “neutral”, adding to a broader shift in analyst sentiment around the stock.
• BBVA now has an average analyst rating of “Hold”, with one Buy and six Hold ratings reported after several recent downgrades or neutral calls from other firms.
• The stock was trading at $25.67 and has risen near its 52-week high of $26.40, while the company also reported $0.59 EPS in its latest quarter and $12.33 billion in revenue.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Bank of America from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

BBVA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays cut Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Price Performance

BBVA stock opened at $25.67 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $146.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.20. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a 12 month low of $14.63 and a 12 month high of $26.40.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The bank reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.21% and a return on equity of 17.65%. The company had revenue of $12.33 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 103.0% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 125,927 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,715,000 after purchasing an additional 63,880 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 104.6% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 181,639 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,474,000 after purchasing an additional 92,843 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 4.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 17,923 shares of the bank's stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 9.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 24,063 shares of the bank's stock worth $370,000 after buying an additional 2,090 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 44.0% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 72,881 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,120,000 after buying an additional 22,284 shares in the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Company Profile

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria NYSE: BBVA is a Spanish multinational financial services group headquartered in Bilbao, Spain. The bank traces its roots to several historic regional banks and was formed through a series of mergers that consolidated its position as one of Spain's largest banking groups. BBVA operates as a universal bank offering a broad range of financial services to retail, corporate and institutional clients.

BBVA's core businesses include retail and commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, private banking and wealth management, asset management, and insurance.

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