Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:BBVA)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 7,144 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 15,430% compared to the typical daily volume of 46 call options.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE BBVA traded down $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $9.81. 1,560,567 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,476,678. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.27 billion, a PE ratio of 6.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.30. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a fifty-two week low of $7.76 and a fifty-two week high of $12.20. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $10.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.47.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The bank reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $9.93 billion during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 27.55%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.3244 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 5.6%. This is a positive change from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 9th. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria's payout ratio is currently 35.37%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BBVA. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,297,000. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 30,589 shares of the bank's stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 2,660 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 132,025 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,431,000 after acquiring an additional 32,208 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,940,000. Finally, Lazari Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,685 shares of the bank's stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,810 shares in the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

About Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria

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.