Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores (NYSE:AVAL) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Grupo Aval shares opened lower, falling from a previous close of $4.85 to $4.70 before trading around $4.7850.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: JPMorgan maintained an “underweight” rating and lowered its price target to $5.00, while the consensus rating is “Reduce” with an average target of $5.00.
• The company declared a monthly dividend of $0.0165 per share, equivalent to an annualized $0.20 dividend and a 4.2% yield; its payout ratio is 37.5%.

Shares of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. (NYSE:AVAL - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Monday. The stock had previously closed at $4.85, but opened at $4.70. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores shares last traded at $4.7850, with a volume of 98,421 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $5.00 price target (down from $5.50) on shares of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $5.00.

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company's 50-day moving average is $5.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 0.59.

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 26th will be given a dividend of $0.0165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 26th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores's payout ratio is currently 37.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 895,772 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,941,000 after acquiring an additional 50,912 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores by 7.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 132,619 shares of the bank's stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 8,692 shares in the last quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. bought a new position in shares of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores in the third quarter worth $351,000. Sage Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in shares of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores by 79.3% during the first quarter. Sage Investment Counsel LLC now owns 60,955 shares of the bank's stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 26,955 shares during the period. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new position in shares of Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores during the second quarter valued at $120,000. 0.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores

Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores SA is a Colombian financial holding company with interests spanning commercial banking, investment banking, asset management and other financial services. Through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, the group serves individuals, businesses and institutional clients with products such as deposits, loans, payment services, trust and fiduciary services, brokerage, pension and severance fund administration, and investment banking.

Its principal Colombian banking operations include Banco de Bogotá, Banco de Occidente and Banco Popular.

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