Private Advisor Group LLC Acquires Shares of 18,620 Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA)

Key Points

• Private Advisor Group LLC invested approximately $254,000 in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. by purchasing 18,620 shares during the 1st quarter, as noted in their recent SEC filing.
• Several hedge funds, including Private Trust Co. NA and Bessemer Group Inc., have increased their holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria, indicating growing institutional interest.
• Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria reported $0.52 earnings per share for the last quarter, beating expectations, and has a projected earnings per share of 1.59 for the current year.

Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 18,620 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $254,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 96.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,616 shares of the bank's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,778 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 224.7% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,607 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,804 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the first quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 25.3% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,901 shares of the bank's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 787 shares during the period. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:BBVA traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $17.28. 1,474,519 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,382,880. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $15.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.02. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. has a 12 month low of $9.23 and a 12 month high of $17.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.12.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The bank reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $10.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.24 billion. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 18.02% and a net margin of 29.17%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research 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.