Short Interest in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) Expands By 46.2%

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA) was the target of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,510,457 shares, a growth of 46.2% from the December 15th total of 1,033,380 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,088,714 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,088,714 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,369 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,390 shares of the bank’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,738 shares of the bank’s stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. Five Oceans Advisors increased its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 23,314 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 4,874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the fourth quarter worth $616,000. 2.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on BBVA. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research cut Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Price Performance

Shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria stock opened at $24.38 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $140.51 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $22.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.60. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a fifty-two week low of $10.60 and a fifty-two week high of $24.82.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $10.47 billion. Analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.