BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $21.38 and last traded at $20.86, with a volume of 60174 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.58.

BBVA Banco Frances Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company’s 50 day moving average is $16.37 and its 200 day moving average is $16.64. The stock has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.53 and a beta of 0.99.

BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The bank reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $822.07 million during the quarter. BBVA Banco Frances had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 6.27%. Research analysts forecast that BBVA Banco Frances S.A. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BBVA Banco Frances Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 27th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th were paid a $0.0382 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 20th. This is a positive change from BBVA Banco Frances’s previous monthly dividend of $0.04. BBVA Banco Frances’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.66%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in BBVA Banco Frances by 54,175.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,171 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 2,167 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp purchased a new stake in BBVA Banco Frances during the 4th quarter worth about $150,000. Carter Financial Group INC. acquired a new position in BBVA Banco Frances in the 1st quarter valued at about $150,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of BBVA Banco Frances by 78.0% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,973 shares of the bank’s stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 4,808 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BBVA Banco Frances during the fourth quarter worth about $224,000.

BBVA Banco Frances Company Profile

BBVA Banco Francés is one of Argentina’s leading financial institutions, operating as a subsidiary of the global banking group BBVA. The bank provides a full range of retail and commercial banking services to individuals, small and medium‐sized enterprises, large corporations and institutional clients. Its product suite spans deposit accounts, mortgages, personal and auto loans, credit and debit cards, transactional banking and digital solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of customers in both urban and regional markets.

Founded in Buenos Aires in the late 19th century, Banco Francés has developed a longstanding presence in Argentina’s financial sector.