Short Interest in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Declines By 15.8%

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) saw a large 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 trading volume of 4,780,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Banco Santander Price Performance

Banco Santander stock traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $6.57. 4,101,444 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,250,352. Banco Santander has a 12 month low of $4.27 and a 12 month high of $7.16. The business’s 50-day moving average is $6.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.30. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $99.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Banco Santander will post 0.83 EPS 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 issued 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 a positive change from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on SAN. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Banco Santander by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,024,556 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,225,000 after purchasing an additional 193,255 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of Banco Santander by 4.3% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 878,014 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,478,000 after acquiring an additional 36,221 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 33.9% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 20,893,727 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $106,558,000 after acquiring an additional 5,290,236 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Banco Santander by 111.8% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 706,184 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after acquiring an additional 372,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in 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 last quarter. 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.