BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of BBVA Banco Frances S.A. (NYSE:BBAR) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.6667.

Several research analysts have commented on BBAR shares. Hsbc Global Res raised BBVA Banco Frances to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wall Street Zen raised BBVA Banco Frances from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. UBS Group began coverage on BBVA Banco Frances in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. Itau BBA Securities upgraded shares of BBVA Banco Frances from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of BBVA Banco Frances from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd.

BBVA Banco Frances Trading Down 0.9%

BBAR opened at $18.27 on Monday. BBVA Banco Frances has a fifty-two week low of $7.76 and a fifty-two week high of $25.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.23 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $14.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.17.

BBVA Banco Frances (NYSE:BBAR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The bank reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.07). BBVA Banco Frances had a net margin of 4.46% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The business had revenue of $512.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $871.10 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that BBVA Banco Frances will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

BBVA Banco Frances Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.0331 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from BBVA Banco Frances’s previous monthly dividend of $0.03. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. BBVA Banco Frances’s payout ratio is currently 41.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BBVA Banco Frances

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BBAR. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in BBVA Banco Frances by 199.9% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of BBVA Banco Frances in the 1st quarter valued at $211,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of BBVA Banco Frances in the 3rd quarter valued at $108,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of BBVA Banco Frances during the 3rd quarter valued at $109,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in BBVA Banco Frances by 123.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 15,301 shares of the bank’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 8,450 shares during the period.

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.