Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Shares Gap Up - Time to Buy?

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $5.59, but opened at $5.75. Banco Santander shares last traded at $5.77, with a volume of 449,410 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SAN has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Banco Santander from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Banco Santander Stock Performance

The firm's 50 day moving average is $4.94 and its 200-day moving average is $4.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.25, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 2.24.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.21. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. Analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Banco Santander by 2,226.3% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the bank's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 5,588 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Banco Santander during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. WealthCollab LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 35.1% during the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new position in Banco Santander in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.