Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Short Interest Down 49.4% in April

Key Points

• Short interest down 49.4% in April to 860,985 shares, leaving a days-to-cover ratio of 0.5 and reporting 0.0% of the company's shares as short sold.
• BBVA declared a $0.7084 dividend payable April 27 with an ex-dividend date of April 9 and a dividend payout ratio of 57.36%.
• Shares opened at $21.85 with a $124.76 billion market cap and P/E of 11.09; the bank reported Q4 EPS of $0.50 (meeting estimates) and the consensus analyst rating is "Hold".

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 860,985 shares, a decrease of 49.4% from the March 31st total of 1,702,105 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,879,086 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are short sold.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of BBVA stock opened at $21.85 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.21. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a fifty-two week low of $13.47 and a fifty-two week high of $26.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.86.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.50. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.29% and a net margin of 28.43%.The business had revenue of $11.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.74 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 2.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.7084 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a yield of 626.0%. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 59.6% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,141 shares of the bank's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,259 shares of the bank's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 50.9% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,304 shares of the bank's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings cut Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research lowered Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays lowered Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold".

About Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

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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