Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,710,000 shares, an increase of 9.6% from the August 15th total of 5,210,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.5 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 139.8% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,906 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 2,277 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 295.3% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 4,076 shares of the bank’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 3,045 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 67.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 4,924 shares of the bank’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,990 shares during the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BBVA shares. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. BNP Paribas cut Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Price Performance

Shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria stock traded up $0.07 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.54. 1,412,472 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,501,298. The company has a market capitalization of $61.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.30. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 52-week low of $7.72 and a 52-week high of $12.20. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.64.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The bank reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.