Millennium Management LLC Raises Position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA)

Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) by 514.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 951,350 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 796,526 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC's holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria were worth $9,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 96.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,616 shares of the bank's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,778 shares during the period. Avion Wealth purchased a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Barclays PLC purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,420 shares of the bank's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Price Performance

Shares of BBVA traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $15.06. 356,980 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,783,527. The company's 50-day moving average price is $13.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.20. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has a 52-week low of $9.23 and a 52-week high of $15.66. The company has a market cap of $87.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.47. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.49% and a net margin of 28.10%. The firm had revenue of $10.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.12 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya 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 given a dividend of $0.4439 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a yield of 4.3%. This is a positive change from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BBVA shares. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

About Banco Bilbao Vizcaya 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.