Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys 131,983 Shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. $BBVA

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its investment in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 17.5%, acquiring an additional 131,983 shares, bringing its total holdings to 886,409 shares valued at $12.07 million.
• Several other major institutional investors have also boosted their stakes in the bank, indicating growing investor confidence in BBVA.
• BBVA's recent quarterly earnings surpassed analysts' expectations, reporting $0.52 earnings per share against a consensus of $0.47, along with revenues of $10.30 billion.

Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) by 17.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 886,409 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 131,983 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc.'s holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria were worth $12,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBVA. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 224.7% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,607 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,804 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 25.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,901 shares of the bank's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the first quarter worth approximately $209,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 48.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 16,135 shares of the bank's stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 5,269 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 3.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,767 shares of the bank's stock valued at $474,000 after buying an additional 1,222 shares in the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BBVA shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Barclays raised shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BBVA traded up $0.49 during trading on Thursday, hitting $18.48. 1,324,706 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,358,929. The company has a market capitalization of $107.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.20. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $16.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.07. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. has a 1-year low of $9.23 and a 1-year 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.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.05. The business 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 17.61% and a net margin of 29.17%. Sell-side analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.