Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Short Interest Update

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,080,000 shares, a drop of 35.2% from the January 31st total of 4,750,000 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,870,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Performance

NYSE:BBVA traded down $0.21 on Tuesday, hitting $13.18. The stock had a trading volume of 2,917,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,187,386. The stock has a market cap of $76.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.55. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 52-week low of $9.23 and a 52-week high of $13.71.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BBVA. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,866 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 1,792 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 37.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 393,458 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,265,000 after buying an additional 106,869 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 47,217 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $459,000 after buying an additional 4,302 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 377,530 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,092,000 after buying an additional 65,852 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 4th quarter worth approximately $124,000. 2.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Company Profile

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.