Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Short Interest Update

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,430,000 shares, an increase of 14.6% from the February 29th total of 2,120,000 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,340,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $158,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $195,000. Vanguard Group Inc. purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $110,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 8,737,599 shares of the bank's stock valued at $79,600,000 after buying an additional 30,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abel Hall LLC purchased a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company's stock.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BBVA traded up $0.07 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $11.81. The company had a trading volume of 1,197,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,373,984. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 12 month low of $6.47 and a 12 month high of $12.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.33.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 29th. The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $8.01 billion for the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 14.85% and a net margin of 27.15%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.1695 per share. This represents a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. This is a boost from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BBVA shares. Barclays downgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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.

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