Royal Bank Of Canada Downgrades Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) to Sector Perform

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) was downgraded by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Trading Up 1.1%

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria stock opened at $25.43 on Wednesday. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a 1-year low of $10.77 and a 1-year high of $26.14. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.20. The company has a market capitalization of $146.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.82.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $10.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.47 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 50.9% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,304 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 45.6% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,456 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 187.3% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,557 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.96% of the company’s stock.

About Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria

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.