Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Upgraded at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

Banco Santander Stock Up 1.5 %

SAN opened at $4.84 on Monday. Banco Santander has a one year low of $3.20 and a one year high of $4.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.24, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $4.15 and its 200-day moving average is $3.99. The company has a market capitalization of $76.60 billion, a PE ratio of 6.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.20.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The bank reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 19.29%. The company had revenue of $15.67 billion for the quarter. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.14 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Banco Santander will post 0.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.1027 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This is an increase from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.09. Banco Santander’s payout ratio is currently 20.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SAN. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 236.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 223,407 shares of the bank’s stock worth $755,000 after acquiring an additional 157,003 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 4.7% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 210,073 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $711,000 after buying an additional 9,342 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 26.8% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 240,518 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $814,000 after buying an additional 50,817 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 163.6% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 129,832 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 80,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in Banco Santander by 60.4% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 714,160 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,415,000 after purchasing an additional 269,055 shares during the last quarter. 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 corporate finance, global debt financing and market, global transaction banking, and private debt mobilization solutions.