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

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,510,457 shares, a growth of 46.2% from the December 15th total of 1,033,380 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,088,714 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,088,714 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria stock opened at $24.38 on Friday. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a 1 year low of $10.60 and a 1 year high of $24.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $22.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.60. The company has a market cap of $140.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.82.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $10.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.47 billion. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.58% and a return on equity of 17.07%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,369 shares of the bank’s stock worth $475,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,390 shares of the bank’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,738 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $367,000 after buying an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. Five Oceans Advisors grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 23,314 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 4,874 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management acquired a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the fourth quarter worth approximately $616,000. 2.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BBVA. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Company Profile

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) is a Spanish multinational financial services group headquartered in Bilbao, Spain. The bank traces its roots to several historic regional banks and was formed through a series of mergers that consolidated its position as one of Spain’s largest banking groups. BBVA operates as a universal bank offering a broad range of financial services to retail, corporate and institutional clients.

BBVA’s core businesses include retail and commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, private banking and wealth management, asset management, and insurance.