Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of SASR stock opened at $31.67 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $35.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67 and a beta of 0.98. Sandy Spring Bancorp has a 52-week low of $19.52 and a 52-week high of $39.55.

Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The bank reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.06). Sandy Spring Bancorp had a net margin of 11.54% and a return on equity of 5.71%. The company had revenue of $189.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.60 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sandy Spring Bancorp will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. Sandy Spring Bancorp’s payout ratio is 71.58%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in Sandy Spring Bancorp by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 13,176 shares of the bank’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 1,176 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Sandy Spring Bancorp by 3.2% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 74,906 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,825,000 after acquiring an additional 2,325 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Sandy Spring Bancorp by 18.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 775,252 shares of the bank’s stock worth $18,885,000 after acquiring an additional 120,996 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Sandy Spring Bancorp in the second quarter worth $117,000. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sandy Spring Bancorp in the second quarter valued at $217,000. 66.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Company Profile

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Sandy Spring Bank that provides commercial and retail banking, mortgage, private banking, and trust services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It offers financial products and services, including various loan and deposit products.