LPL Financial LLC Purchases 70,715 Shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA)

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 17.8%, acquiring 70,715 shares during the first quarter, resulting in total holdings of 468,694 shares valued at approximately $6.38 million.
• Barclays upgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from an “equal weight” to an “overweight” rating, indicating a positive outlook for the stock.
• Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria reported earnings per share of $0.52 for the last quarter, outperforming analyst expectations of $0.47.

LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) by 17.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 468,694 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 70,715 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria were worth $6,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 224.7% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,607 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,804 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the 1st quarter worth approximately $46,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 25.3% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,901 shares of the bank's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the 1st quarter worth approximately $72,000. Institutional investors own 2.96% of the company's stock.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE BBVA traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $19.21. The stock had a trading volume of 732,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,337,493. The firm has a market cap of $112.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.12. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. has a twelve month low of $9.23 and a twelve month high of $19.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company's 50 day moving average price is $15.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.38.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The bank reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.05. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a net margin of 29.17% and a return on equity of 17.61%. The business had revenue of $10.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.24 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on BBVA. Barclays raised shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th.

About Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

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.