Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BBVA shares. Wall Street Zen raised Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Monday, December 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Diversified Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 14,168 shares of the bank’s stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. increased its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 14,644 shares of the bank’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 544 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 2.5% during the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,039 shares of the bank’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 0.7% in the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 80,109 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,542,000 after acquiring an additional 556 shares during the period. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 4.1% in the second quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 14,304 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $220,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Price Performance

Shares of BBVA opened at $23.72 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $22.07 and a 200-day moving average of $19.31. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a one year low of $10.03 and a one year high of $24.19.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.58% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The business had revenue of $10.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.47 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

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.