BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest fell 56.3% to 479,727 shares as of September 15, representing about 0.2% of BBVA Banco Frances’ outstanding stock and only 0.7 days to cover.
• BBAR shares declined 4.7% to $12.53, well below the average analyst price target of $18.50. Analysts’ consensus rating remains “Moderate Buy,” although some firms recently downgraded or maintained neutral ratings.
• Several hedge funds initiated positions in the bank, including Alpine Global Management, which purchased approximately $4.0 million in shares.

BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 479,727 shares, a drop of 56.3% from the August 31st total of 1,098,660 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 649,468 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

BBVA Banco Frances Stock Down 4.7%

Shares of BBVA Banco Frances stock traded down $0.62 during trading on Monday, reaching $12.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 641,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 684,044. BBVA Banco Frances has a 1-year low of $7.76 and a 1-year high of $22.47. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.28 and a beta of 0.93.

BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The bank reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. BBVA Banco Frances had a return on equity of 7.56% and a net margin of 4.16%.The company had revenue of $716.56 million for the quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup lowered BBVA Banco Frances from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on BBVA Banco Frances from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen raised BBVA Banco Frances from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut BBVA Banco Frances from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BBVA Banco Frances has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BBVA Banco Frances

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BBAR. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BBVA Banco Frances in the second quarter worth about $311,000. XP Advisory US Inc. purchased a new position in BBVA Banco Frances during the second quarter valued at approximately $63,000. OceanIQ Capital LLC purchased a new stake in BBVA Banco Frances in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $249,000. Carter Financial Group INC. acquired a new stake in shares of BBVA Banco Frances during the 1st quarter worth approximately $150,000. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,042,000.

BBVA Banco Frances Company Profile

BBVA Banco Francés, now operating as BBVA Argentina SA under the BBVA brand, is a banking institution serving individuals, businesses and corporate customers in Argentina. It is part of the Spanish BBVA Group, a global financial services organization.

The bank provides a range of retail and commercial banking products, including deposit accounts, personal and business loans, credit and debit cards, payment services, insurance and investment-related services. It also offers digital banking channels and financial solutions for companies and institutional clients.

The institution traces its history to Banco Francés del Río de la Plata, founded in Argentina in 1886.

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