Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the three research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company.

Several research analysts have commented on SAN shares. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com raised Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Banco Santander Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of SAN opened at $7.12 on Friday. Banco Santander has a 12-month low of $4.27 and a 12-month high of $7.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. The company has a market capitalization of $107.89 billion, a PE ratio of 8.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s 50 day moving average is $5.96 and its 200 day moving average is $5.21.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last released 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 net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. Research analysts expect that Banco Santander will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Banco Santander by 2,226.3% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the bank’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 5,588 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. WealthCollab LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new position in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. 9.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.