Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Upgraded to "Buy" at StockNews.com

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

BBVA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Hsbc Global Res raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Up 2.4%

NYSE BBVA traded up $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $15.57. 1,416,907 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,783,875. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 52 week low of $9.23 and a 52 week high of $15.59. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $13.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.94. The company has a market cap of $90.90 billion, a PE ratio of 8.60, 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 current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BBVA. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 4.3% during 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 during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 104.6% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 181,639 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,474,000 after purchasing an additional 92,843 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 55.5% in the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 34,333 shares of the bank's stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 12,253 shares during the last quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the first quarter worth about $394,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 10.2% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 10,941,273 shares of the bank's stock valued at $149,020,000 after buying an additional 1,014,305 shares during the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Banco Bilbao Vizcaya 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.