Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Short Interest Up 40.3% in July

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,240,000 shares, a growth of 40.3% from the July 15th total of 2,310,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 56.2% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 233,631 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,766,000 after purchasing an additional 84,063 shares during the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC boosted its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 332,450 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,029,000 after purchasing an additional 150,191 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 169.8% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 497,463 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,532,000 after purchasing an additional 313,065 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,355,974 shares of the bank’s stock worth $94,342,000 after buying an additional 290,673 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norden Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 1st quarter worth about $979,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Stock Up 1.5 %

BBVA traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $10.04. 109,413 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,525,400. The stock has a market cap of $58.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.72, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.32. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a 1-year low of $7.41 and a 1-year high of $12.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $10.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.55.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The bank reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 22.05% and a net margin of 27.55%. The company had revenue of $9.93 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.36 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.

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.