BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR) Trading Down 7.9% - What's Next?

Key Points

• BBVA Banco Frances shares fell 7.9% on Thursday, trading as low as $19.33 after closing at $20.87, on lighter-than-usual volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but slightly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.50. UBS recently raised its target to $20 while maintaining a neutral rating.
• The bank reported solid recent results and a small dividend, posting $0.28 in quarterly EPS on $822.07 million in revenue and paying a monthly dividend that annualizes to a 0.8% yield.

BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR - Get Free Report) traded down 7.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $19.33 and last traded at $19.2150. Approximately 305,207 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 691,118 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.87.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of BBVA Banco Frances from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of BBVA Banco Frances in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BBVA Banco Frances presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.50.

BBVA Banco Frances Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.40 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $18.75 and a 200-day moving average of $17.15.

BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The bank reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $822.07 million for the quarter. BBVA Banco Frances had a return on equity of 6.27% and a net margin of 3.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that BBVA Banco Frances S.A. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

BBVA Banco Frances Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th were given a $0.0131 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 12th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. BBVA Banco Frances's dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BBVA Banco Frances

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of BBVA Banco Frances by 54,175.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,171 shares of the bank's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 2,167 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp purchased a new position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances during the 4th quarter valued at about $150,000. Carter Financial Group INC. acquired a new position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances in the 1st quarter valued at about $150,000. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of BBVA Banco Frances by 78.0% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,973 shares of the bank's stock valued at $198,000 after buying an additional 4,808 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BBVA Banco Frances in the fourth quarter worth about $224,000.

About BBVA Banco Frances

BBVA Banco Francés is one of Argentina's leading financial institutions, operating as a subsidiary of the global banking group BBVA. The bank provides a full range of retail and commercial banking services to individuals, small and medium‐sized enterprises, large corporations and institutional clients. Its product suite spans deposit accounts, mortgages, personal and auto loans, credit and debit cards, transactional banking and digital solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of customers in both urban and regional markets.

Founded in Buenos Aires in the late 19th century, Banco Francés has developed a longstanding presence in Argentina's financial sector.

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