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

Key Points

• Short interest fell 24.9% to 2,026,265 shares as of March 13, with a days-to-cover ratio of 0.9 days, according to the report.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed after recent rating changes, with MarketBeat showing an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (1 Strong Buy, 1 Buy, 3 Holds).
• The bank announced a dividend of $0.7084 per share payable April 27, and the stock trades at a PE of 10.37 with a market capitalization of $117.72 billion.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,026,265 shares, a decline of 24.9% from the February 26th total of 2,698,019 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,237,666 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 59.6% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,141 shares of the bank's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 84.1% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,259 shares of the bank's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BBVA shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Stock Down 2.4%

NYSE BBVA opened at $20.43 on Friday. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a 52 week low of $11.59 and a 52 week high of $26.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.72 billion, a PE ratio of 10.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.7084 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a yield of 678.0%. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria's payout ratio is presently 30.46%.

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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