Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 1,353,750 Shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA)

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Free Report) by 21.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,906,926 shares of the bank's stock after selling 1,353,750 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria worth $47,695,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria during the 4th quarter worth $3,208,000. Summitry LLC grew its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 30,288 shares of the bank's stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 5,628 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 189.4% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 397,979 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,868,000 after purchasing an additional 260,472 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,226,849 shares of the bank's stock valued at $21,645,000 after acquiring an additional 156,006 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Global Investments lifted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 105.5% during the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 539,796 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,247,000 after buying an additional 277,164 shares during the period. 2.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Trading Down 10.5 %

NYSE:BBVA traded down $1.44 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,421,293 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,834,498. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.01. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has a 1 year low of $9.23 and a 1 year high of $14.84. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.75, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.00.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.04. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.10% and a return on equity of 17.49%. Research analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.4439 dividend. This is a positive change from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a yield of 4.3%. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Company Profile

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, SA provides retail banking, wholesale banking, and asset management services in the United States, Spain, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and internationally. The company offers savings account, demand deposits, and time deposits; and loan products, such as residential mortgages, other households, credit card loans, loans to enterprises and public sector, as well as consumer finance.