Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) Shares Gap Up to $10.50

Shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $10.50, but opened at $10.84. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria shares last traded at $10.85, with a volume of 717,159 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barclays lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Price Performance

The stock's 50 day moving average is $10.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.61 billion, a PE ratio of 7.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 29th. The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $8.01 billion for the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 14.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.1695 per share. This is a boost from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBVA. Vicus Capital acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 1st quarter worth $131,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 295.3% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 4,076 shares of the bank's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 3,045 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 41,902 shares of the bank's stock worth $496,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 11.4% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,166 shares of the bank's stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 6.2% in the first quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 171,458 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,030,000 after buying an additional 10,018 shares during the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.