Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. Makes New Investment in BBVA Banco Frances S.A. $BBAR

Key Points

• Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in BBVA Banco Frances S.A. by purchasing 79,960 shares for approximately $1.45 million in the first quarter.
• BBVA Banco Frances's recent earnings report revealed earnings per share of $0.24, which was below analysts' expectations of $0.37, alongside total revenue of $524.41 million.
• The company declared a dividend of $0.0221 per share, resulting in a yield of 167.0% for shareholders, with a current dividend payout ratio of 20.15%.

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 79,960 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $1,449,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances by 1,332.9% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 14,759 shares of the bank's stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 13,729 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,417,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,050,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances by 38.9% during the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 149,350 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,847,000 after purchasing an additional 41,852 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances by 93.3% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,733,785 shares of the bank's stock worth $33,046,000 after purchasing an additional 836,688 shares during the last quarter.

BBVA Banco Frances Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BBAR traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $12.25. 391,582 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 687,210. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $15.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.14 and a beta of 1.18. BBVA Banco Frances S.A. has a twelve month low of $9.34 and a twelve month high of $25.01.

BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The bank reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $524.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $727.31 billion. BBVA Banco Frances had a return on equity of 10.24% and a net margin of 6.65%. As a group, research analysts predict that BBVA Banco Frances S.A. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

BBVA Banco Frances Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $0.0221 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. BBVA Banco Frances's payout ratio is 19.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on BBAR shares. Wall Street Zen lowered BBVA Banco Frances from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Itau BBA Securities assumed coverage on shares of BBVA Banco Frances in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $22.50.

BBVA Banco Frances Company Profile

Banco BBVA Argentina SA provides various banking products and services to individuals and companies in Argentina. The company provides retail banking products and services, such as checking and savings accounts, time deposits, credit cards financing, consumer and pledge loans, mortgages, insurance, and investment products to individuals; and small and medium-sized companies products and services, including financing products, factoring, checking accounts, time deposits, transactional and payroll services, insurance, and investment products to private-sector companies.