Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Shares Purchased by Northern Trust Corp

Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) by 48.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,418,877 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 2,424,880 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.13% of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria worth $72,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BBVA. Barclays PLC acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the third quarter worth approximately $129,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,866 shares of the bank's stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chickasaw Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Chickasaw Capital Management LLC now owns 43,769 shares of the bank's stock valued at $425,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:BBVA traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $14.47. 1,051,145 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,805,566. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $84.47 billion, a PE ratio of 7.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $13.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.72. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has a twelve month low of $9.23 and a twelve month high of $14.84.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $10.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.12 billion. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.10% and a return on equity of 17.49%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $0.4439 per share. This is a positive change from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's payout ratio is presently 39.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BBVA shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.