Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the three brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company.

A number of research firms have commented on SAN. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Banco Santander Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SAN opened at $6.71 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $101.67 billion, a PE ratio of 8.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. Banco Santander has a twelve month low of $4.27 and a twelve month high of $7.16. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.44.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.21. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Banco Santander will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.1152 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio is 19.28%.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atria Investments Inc boosted its position in Banco Santander by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 28,990 shares of the bank’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,917 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC increased its position in Banco Santander by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 17,230 shares of the bank’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 2,032 shares during the period. Riversedge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Banco Santander by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 17,220 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 2,148 shares during the period. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 50,013 shares of the bank’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

Banco Santander Company Profile

Banco Santander, SA provides various financial services worldwide. The company operates through Retail Banking, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, Wealth Management & Insurance, and PagoNxt segments. It offers demand and time deposits, mutual funds, and current and savings accounts; mortgages, consumer finance, loans, and various financing solutions; and project finance, debt capital markets, global transaction banking, and corporate finance services.