Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Shares Sold by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp lessened its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) by 46.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 126,947 shares of the bank's stock after selling 108,955 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria were worth $1,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 96.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,616 shares of the bank's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,778 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,420 shares of the bank's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC acquired a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the fourth quarter valued at $97,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 901.1% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,061 shares of the bank's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 9,056 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.96% of the company's stock.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Price Performance

BBVA stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $15.06. 1,386,873 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,894,847. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. has a 1-year low of $9.23 and a 1-year high of $15.67. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $14.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.74. The firm has a market cap of $87.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.97, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.08.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.97% and a net margin of 28.85%. The firm had revenue of $10.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.12 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a $0.4439 dividend. This is a positive change from Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. This represents a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on BBVA. Wall Street Zen lowered Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Profile

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.