Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 33.9% in February to 2,698,019 shares, leaving a short-interest ratio of about 1.4 days based on average daily volume.
• BBVA reported quarterly EPS of $0.50 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $11.49 billion which topped consensus, with a return on equity of 17.29% and a net margin of 28.43%.
• The company announced a dividend of $0.7084 payable April 27 (ex-dividend April 9), while analyst coverage is mixed and the MarketBeat consensus rating is "Moderate Buy."

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,698,019 shares, an increase of 33.9% from the February 12th total of 2,014,312 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,928,462 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 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 trading volume, of 1,928,462 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Stock Down 1.8%

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria stock opened at $20.44 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.55. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a twelve month low of $11.59 and a twelve month high of $26.20. The company has a market capitalization of $117.77 billion, a PE ratio of 10.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.80.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.50. The firm had revenue of $11.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.74 billion. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.29% and a net margin of 28.43%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.7084 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 678.0%. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BBVA. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the 3rd quarter valued at about $876,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,478,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,846,150 shares of the bank's stock worth $93,288,000 after buying an additional 297,752 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 612.4% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 515,444 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,922,000 after buying an additional 443,092 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,114,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company's stock.

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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