Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Trims Holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lowered its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 648,728 shares of the bank's stock after selling 65,188 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria were worth $6,306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Symmetry Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the fourth quarter worth $27,647,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,418,877 shares of the bank's stock valued at $72,111,000 after purchasing an additional 2,424,880 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the fourth quarter valued at about $7,333,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the fourth quarter worth about $3,208,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 105.5% in the fourth quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 539,796 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,247,000 after buying an additional 277,164 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company's stock.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE BBVA traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $14.47. 1,051,145 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,805,566. The stock has a market cap of $84.47 billion, a PE ratio of 7.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.05. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has a 52 week low of $9.23 and a 52 week high of $14.84. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $13.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.47. The company had revenue of $10.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.12 billion. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.49% and a net margin of 28.10%. Analysts forecast that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a $0.4439 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BBVA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. 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. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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.