Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the three brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, one has assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company.

SAN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Banco Santander Price Performance

SAN stock opened at $6.93 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $104.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.34, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $6.04 and a 200 day moving average of $5.24. Banco Santander has a 1 year low of $4.27 and a 1 year high of $7.16.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.1152 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a boost 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 payout ratio is 19.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

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

About Banco Santander

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.