Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Short Interest Down 6.4% in September

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) saw a significant decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 5,870,000 shares, a decrease of 6.4% from the September 15th total of 6,270,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,380,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.3 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BBVA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Price Performance

BBVA traded down $0.08 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.07. 959,181 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,479,937. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.54. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a fifty-two week low of $7.76 and a fifty-two week high of $12.20. The stock has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.30.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The bank reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 27.55%. The business had revenue of $9.93 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.3244 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.6%. This is an increase from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.11. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.37%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BBVA. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 172.8% during the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,096,738 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,060,000 after buying an additional 1,961,553 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 11,103,927 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $111,371,000 after acquiring an additional 619,836 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,412,058 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,253,000 after acquiring an additional 396,829 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 24.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,890,079 shares of the bank’s stock worth $18,957,000 after purchasing an additional 368,660 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 266.0% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 406,418 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,076,000 after purchasing an additional 295,378 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

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.