Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Boosts Stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 19,576 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,437 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria were worth $190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BBVA. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 120.7% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 3,540 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,936 shares during the period. Barclays PLC purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Avion Wealth acquired a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,420 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BBVA. StockNews.com raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Trading Down 0.5 %

BBVA opened at $12.55 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.20. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has a 1-year low of $9.23 and a 1-year high of $14.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.04. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 17.49% and a net margin of 28.10%. Analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.4439 per share. This is a boost from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.3%. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s payout ratio is presently 39.23%.

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.