Short Interest in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Declines By 27.5%

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. experienced a significant 27.5% drop in short interest from August 15 to August 31, with current short interest totaling 840,500 shares.
• Several institutional investors, including Goldman Sachs and Bank of America, have increased their stakes in BBVA, which suggests growing confidence in the bank's outlook.
• Analysts have varied opinions on BBVA, with ratings including one Strong Buy, one Buy, and one Hold, indicating a generally positive sentiment despite some downgrades.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 840,500 shares, a decline of 27.5% from the August 15th total of 1,160,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BBVA shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Barclays upgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 28.0% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,288,196 shares of the bank's stock worth $142,760,000 after buying an additional 2,034,318 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 10.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 10,941,273 shares of the bank's stock worth $149,020,000 after buying an additional 1,014,305 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 514.5% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 951,350 shares of the bank's stock worth $9,247,000 after acquiring an additional 796,526 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 17.1% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,375,294 shares of the bank's stock worth $67,247,000 after acquiring an additional 637,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 11.4% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,548,398 shares of the bank's stock worth $69,909,000 after acquiring an additional 467,226 shares in the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria stock traded up $0.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $19.33. 1,031,453 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,241,107. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a twelve month low of $9.23 and a twelve month high of $19.41. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $17.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.20.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The bank reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.05. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.61% and a net margin of 29.17%.The business had revenue of $10.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.24 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Banco Bilbao Viscaya 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.