Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Short Interest Update

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Banco Santander Stock Up 1.2 %

SAN traded up $0.08 on Wednesday, hitting $6.86. 4,615,709 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,246,115. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $6.15 and its 200-day moving average is $5.29. Banco Santander has a 12 month low of $4.27 and a 12 month high of $7.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 2.24. The company has a market cap of $103.95 billion, a PE ratio of 8.27, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last released 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Banco Santander will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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