Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

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

SAN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Banco Santander Price Performance

Shares of SAN opened at $6.92 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $5.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.18. The company has a market cap of $104.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. 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.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share (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%. As a group, analysts predict that Banco Santander will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAN. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 2,226.3% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the bank’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 5,588 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Banco Santander during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. WealthCollab LLC boosted its position in Banco Santander by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Banco Santander

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.