Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. $BBVA Shares Sold by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Key Points

• Arrowstreet Capital reduced its BBVA stake by 45.6% in the first quarter, selling 2.36 million shares and retaining 2.82 million shares valued at approximately $61 million.
• BBVA shares opened at $26.55, near their 12-month high of $26.59. The bank reported quarterly revenue of $12.33 billion, EPS of $0.59, a 17.65% return on equity, and a 28.21% net margin.
• Analyst sentiment is cautious: one analyst rates BBVA a Buy while six rate it Hold, resulting in a consensus Hold rating. Institutional investors collectively own 2.96% of the company.

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership cut its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) by 45.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,815,915 shares of the bank's stock after selling 2,356,769 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership's holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria were worth $60,993,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 103.0% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 125,927 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,715,000 after purchasing an additional 63,880 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya 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 buying an additional 92,843 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 17,923 shares of the bank's stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 24,063 shares of the bank's stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 2,090 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 44.0% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 72,881 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,120,000 after acquiring an additional 22,284 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company's stock.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Price Performance

NYSE BBVA opened at $26.55 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $151.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.80. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. has a 12 month low of $15.23 and a 12 month high of $26.59. The company's fifty day moving average price is $24.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.34.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The bank reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.65% and a net margin of 28.21%.The company had revenue of $12.33 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. will post 2.35 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Barclays downgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Bank of America lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Company Profile

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria NYSE: BBVA is a Spanish multinational financial services group headquartered in Bilbao, Spain. The bank traces its roots to several historic regional banks and was formed through a series of mergers that consolidated its position as one of Spain's largest banking groups. BBVA operates as a universal bank offering a broad range of financial services to retail, corporate and institutional clients.

BBVA's core businesses include retail and commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, private banking and wealth management, asset management, and insurance.

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