Short Interest in BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR) Decreases By 36.0%

Key Points

• Short interest in BBVA Banco Frances has decreased by 36.0%, down to 1,210,000 shares as of August 31st, indicating a decline in bearish sentiment surrounding the stock.
• The bank reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.24, missing analysts' expectations of $0.37, and had a revenue of $524.41 million compared to expected $727.31 million.
• BBVA Banco Frances declared a monthly dividend of $0.0221 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.9%, with a low dividend payout ratio of 20.15%.

BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,210,000 shares, a decline of 36.0% from the August 15th total of 1,890,000 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 789,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Based on an average trading volume of 789,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Approximately 0.6% of the company's stock are short sold.

BBVA Banco Frances Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BBAR opened at $9.01 on Monday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $14.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.27. BBVA Banco Frances has a 1 year low of $8.85 and a 1 year high of $25.01. The company has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a PE ratio of 6.72 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.11.

BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The bank reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.13). BBVA Banco Frances had a return on equity of 10.24% and a net margin of 6.65%.The firm had revenue of $524.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $727.31 billion. On average, research analysts predict that BBVA Banco Frances will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

BBVA Banco Frances Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.0221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. BBVA Banco Frances's dividend payout ratio is 20.15%.

Institutional Trading of BBVA Banco Frances

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBAR. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in BBVA Banco Frances by 199.9% during the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 2,381 shares of the bank's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,587 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in BBVA Banco Frances by 27.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,303 shares of the bank's stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in BBVA Banco Frances during the first quarter worth $211,000. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in BBVA Banco Frances during the first quarter worth $224,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in BBVA Banco Frances by 123.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 15,301 shares of the bank's stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 8,450 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup downgraded shares of BBVA Banco Frances from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of BBVA Banco Frances from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 7th. Itau BBA Securities initiated coverage on shares of BBVA Banco Frances in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of BBVA Banco Frances from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BBVA Banco Frances currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.50.

BBVA Banco Frances Company Profile

Banco BBVA Argentina SA provides various banking products and services to individuals and companies in Argentina. The company provides retail banking products and services, such as checking and savings accounts, time deposits, credit cards financing, consumer and pledge loans, mortgages, insurance, and investment products to individuals; and small and medium-sized companies products and services, including financing products, factoring, checking accounts, time deposits, transactional and payroll services, insurance, and investment products to private-sector companies.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.