Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Takes $4.47 Million Position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. $BBVA

Key Points

• Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky opened a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria, buying 206,440 shares valued at about $4.47 million in the first quarter.
• Other institutional investors also increased or initiated stakes in BBVA, though hedge funds and institutions still own only 2.96% of the company’s shares.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: BBVA has an average Hold rating after several recent downgrades, even as the stock traded up 1.1% to $25.67 and the bank reported solid quarterly results.

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky bought a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 206,440 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $4,471,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BBVA. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 59.6% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,141 shares of the bank's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,259 shares of the bank's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 50.9% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,304 shares of the bank's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BBVA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Barclays downgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria stock opened at $25.67 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $146.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $23.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.20. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. has a twelve month low of $14.63 and a twelve month high of $26.40.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The bank reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.65% and a net margin of 28.21%.The firm had revenue of $12.33 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Profile

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria NYSE: BBVA is a Spanish multinational financial services group headquartered in Bilbao, Spain. The bank traces its roots to several historic regional banks and was formed through a series of mergers that consolidated its position as one of Spain's largest banking groups. BBVA operates as a universal bank offering a broad range of financial services to retail, corporate and institutional clients.

BBVA's core businesses include retail and commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, private banking and wealth management, asset management, and insurance.

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