Short Interest in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Grows By 9.8%

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,270,000 shares, a growth of 9.8% from the August 31st total of 5,710,000 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,330,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Price Performance

BBVA stock traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.28. 1,450,485 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,493,836. The company has a market cap of $60.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $10.36 and its 200 day moving average is $10.64. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 12-month low of $7.76 and a 12-month high of $12.20.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $9.93 billion for the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 27.55%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be given a $0.3244 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 9th. 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 35.37%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lazari Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the second quarter valued at approximately $119,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the second quarter valued at approximately $577,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 172.8% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,096,738 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,060,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961,553 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 40.2% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 154,015 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,545,000 after purchasing an additional 44,131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 0.4% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 373,859 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,750,000 after purchasing an additional 1,531 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.