Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Shares Gap Down - Here's What Happened

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $15.42, but opened at $15.08. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria shares last traded at $15.08, with a volume of 163,688 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BBVA. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Performance

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $14.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.26. The company has a market cap of $87.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.01.

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

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,226,849 shares of the bank's stock worth $21,645,000 after purchasing an additional 156,006 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 47,217 shares of the bank's stock valued at $459,000 after buying an additional 4,302 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 189.4% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 397,979 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,868,000 after buying an additional 260,472 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 444,961 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,325,000 after acquiring an additional 67,431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the fourth quarter worth $161,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.96% of the company's stock.

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.