BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.6667.

BBAR has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of BBVA Banco Frances to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of BBVA Banco Frances in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of BBVA Banco Frances from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded BBVA Banco Frances from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BBVA Banco Frances in a report on Monday, December 29th.

BBVA Banco Frances Trading Down 5.7%

Shares of NYSE BBAR opened at $15.01 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of 15.80 and a beta of 1.04. BBVA Banco Frances has a twelve month low of $7.76 and a twelve month high of $23.10. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.76.

BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The bank reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $865.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $871.10 billion. BBVA Banco Frances had a net margin of 4.46% and a return on equity of 7.43%. On average, equities analysts forecast that BBVA Banco Frances will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

BBVA Banco Frances Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.0357 per share. This is a boost from BBVA Banco Frances’s previous monthly dividend of $0.03. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. BBVA Banco Frances’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in BBVA Banco Frances by 54,175.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,171 shares of the bank’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 2,167 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances by 199.9% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 2,381 shares of the bank’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,587 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp acquired a new position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances during the fourth quarter worth $150,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in BBVA Banco Frances by 78.0% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,973 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $198,000 after buying an additional 4,808 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in BBVA Banco Frances in the fourth quarter valued at $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.