Zacks Research Downgrades Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) to Hold

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of BBVA opened at $21.87 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $126.01 billion, a PE ratio of 11.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.52. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a 12-month low of $11.59 and a 12-month high of $26.20.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.50. The firm had revenue of $11.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.74 billion. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 17.29%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 28.0% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,288,196 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $142,760,000 after acquiring an additional 2,034,318 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 0.6% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,616,619 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $125,914,000 after purchasing an additional 40,320 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 2.0% in the third quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 5,755,246 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $110,788,000 after purchasing an additional 113,250 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,846,150 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $93,288,000 after purchasing an additional 297,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 1,819.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,616,734 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $84,306,000 after purchasing an additional 3,428,336 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

About Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

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.