Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Short Interest Down 15.8% in March

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,940,000 shares, a decline of 15.8% from the February 28th total of 5,870,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,780,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

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

Banco Santander Trading Down 4.2 %

Banco Santander stock traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $6.57. 4,101,444 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,250,352. Banco Santander has a fifty-two week low of $4.27 and a fifty-two week 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 market capitalization of $99.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.91, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $6.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.30.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Banco Santander will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.28%.

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.