Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Separately, UBS Group upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th.

Banco Santander Price Performance

SAN stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $4.74. The company had a trading volume of 2,679,151 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,744,439. The company has a market capitalization of $75.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $4.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08. Banco Santander has a 12-month low of $3.78 and a 12-month high of $5.27.

Banco Santander Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a yield of 3%. Banco Santander's payout ratio is currently 20.00%.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 5.0% in the second quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 5,066,760 shares of the bank's stock valued at $23,459,000 after acquiring an additional 242,000 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Banco Santander by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,091,293 shares of the bank's stock valued at $14,313,000 after acquiring an additional 181,558 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Banco Santander by 3.2% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,690,877 shares of the bank's stock worth $8,623,000 after purchasing an additional 53,039 shares during the period. OLD Mission Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Santander by 56.1% during the first quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC now owns 1,417,650 shares of the bank's stock worth $6,861,000 after purchasing an additional 509,541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 5.5% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,399,228 shares of the bank's stock valued at $7,136,000 after purchasing an additional 73,204 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.19% of the company's stock.

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.