Investors Purchase Large Volume of Banco Santander Put Options (NYSE:SAN)

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders acquired 4,108 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 229% compared to the average volume of 1,249 put options.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

Shares of Banco Santander stock opened at $5.75 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $6.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.33. The company has a market cap of $87.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.92, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 2.24. Banco Santander has a one year low of $4.27 and a one year high of $7.16.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last posted its quarterly 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Banco Santander will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SAN. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Banco Santander by 23.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,024,556 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,225,000 after acquiring an additional 193,255 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 22.1% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 29,381 shares of the bank’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 5,311 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Banco Santander by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 30,187 shares of the bank’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 5,565 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Banco Santander by 143.0% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 345,524 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,757,000 after buying an additional 203,322 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Banco Santander in the third quarter valued at about $3,531,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on SAN shares. StockNews.com upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. One investment 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

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.