Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning.

Separately, Barclays upgraded shares of Banco Santander from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Monday, March 25th.

Banco Santander Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE SAN opened at $5.07 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.96, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $4.67 and its 200-day moving average is $4.24. Banco Santander has a one year low of $3.20 and a one year high of $5.17. The firm has a market cap of $80.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.19.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were issued a $0.1027 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is a positive change from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.09. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 29th. Banco Santander’s payout ratio is 19.44%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $95,000. Naviter Wealth LLC lifted its position in Banco Santander by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 250,487 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,037,000 after buying an additional 50,949 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth about $128,000. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 239.8% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 653,167 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,704,000 after acquiring an additional 460,923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schechter Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Banco Santander by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 44,322 shares of the bank’s stock worth $183,000 after acquiring an additional 3,907 shares in the last quarter. 9.19% of the stock is currently 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.