Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Analysts

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $15.10.

Several analysts have issued reports on SAN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Banco Santander in a report on Monday, July 27th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Banco Santander in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. Finally, DZ Bank reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SAN. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 117.9% during the 1st quarter. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,308 shares of the bank’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in Banco Santander by 151.1% in the second quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,471 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Banco Santander during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

Shares of SAN stock opened at $13.26 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $194.71 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.74. Banco Santander has a 1 year low of $9.62 and a 1 year high of $15.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $14.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.17.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $17.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.90 billion. Banco Santander had a net margin of 26.94% and a return on equity of 12.43%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Banco Santander will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current year.

About Banco Santander

Banco Santander, SA is a global banking group headquartered in Santander, Spain. Founded in 1857, the company provides financial services to individuals, businesses and institutions through subsidiaries and branches across Europe, North America and South America.

Its principal activities include retail and commercial banking, consumer finance, corporate and investment banking, wealth management, insurance and payment services. Santander offers products such as checking and savings accounts, mortgages, personal loans, credit cards, business financing, investment products and digital banking solutions.

The group serves customers in markets including Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Poland, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and the United States.