Everstar Asset Management LLC Invests $308,000 in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Everstar Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 67,652 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $308,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 2,226.3% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 5,588 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Banco Santander in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. 9.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SAN shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Banco Santander presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Banco Santander Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of SAN stock opened at $6.79 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $102.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 12-month low of $4.27 and a 12-month high of $7.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $6.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.26.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.21. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. Research analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

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

Banco Santander 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.