Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $6.84 and last traded at $6.84, with a volume of 725251 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $6.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SAN shares. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of 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, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Banco Santander currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.11. The company has a market capitalization of $103.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. Banco Santander’s payout ratio is presently 19.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

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