Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Cuts Stock Position in Thomson Reuters Co. $TRI

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. reduced its stake in Thomson Reuters by 33.5%, selling 3,997 shares and ultimately holding 7,919 shares valued at $1.36 million.
• Recent analyst reports have led to increased price targets for Thomson Reuters, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target of $194.20.
• Thomson Reuters recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.595, with a dividend yield of 1.3% and a payout ratio of 65.75%.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. trimmed its position in Thomson Reuters Co. (NYSE:TRI - Free Report) TSE: TRI by 33.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,919 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 3,997 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Thomson Reuters were worth $1,363,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Thomson Reuters by 30.8% during the 1st quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 23,156 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,001,000 after purchasing an additional 5,453 shares during the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP increased its position in Thomson Reuters by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 117,737 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $20,314,000 after buying an additional 6,298 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Thomson Reuters by 14.5% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 231,880 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $40,064,000 after buying an additional 29,326 shares during the last quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. boosted its holdings in Thomson Reuters by 81.1% in the first quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 44,488 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $7,682,000 after acquiring an additional 19,925 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gulf International Bank UK Ltd grew its stake in shares of Thomson Reuters by 2,723.3% during the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 8,978 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,551,000 after acquiring an additional 8,660 shares during the last quarter. 17.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Thomson Reuters Stock Performance

NYSE:TRI traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $175.09. The company had a trading volume of 352,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 886,610. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Thomson Reuters Co. has a 1-year low of $151.60 and a 1-year high of $218.42. The business's 50 day moving average price is $193.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $185.52. The firm has a market cap of $78.90 billion, a PE ratio of 35.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.77.

Thomson Reuters (NYSE:TRI - Get Free Report) TSE: TRI last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The business services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.04. Thomson Reuters had a net margin of 30.45% and a return on equity of 14.62%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Thomson Reuters Co. will post 3.89 EPS for the current year.

Thomson Reuters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 19th will be issued a $0.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.38 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Thomson Reuters's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on TRI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Thomson Reuters from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. CIBC upgraded shares of Thomson Reuters from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Thomson Reuters from $215.00 to $208.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered Thomson Reuters from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Thomson Reuters from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $194.20.

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters Corporation engages in the provision of business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments.