Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Hits New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $15.25 and last traded at $15.24, with a volume of 1228976 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on BBVA shares. Wall Street Zen raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 17th. Kepler Capital Markets raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Down 1.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $88.50 billion, a PE ratio of 8.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50-day moving average of $13.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.07.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.47. The company had revenue of $10.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.12 billion. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.49% and a net margin of 28.10%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were given a $0.4439 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. This is an increase from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's payout ratio is presently 39.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BBVA. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 4.3% in 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. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 3.5% during the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 22,114 shares of the bank's stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 19.2% in the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 4,643 shares of the bank's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 25.3% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,901 shares of the bank's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the period. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 20,975 shares of the bank's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares during the period. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Company Profile

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.