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

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) was the target of 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 daily volume of 4,780,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Approximately 0.0% of the company's stock are short sold.

Banco Santander Stock Down 4.2 %

Shares of Banco Santander stock traded down $0.29 on Thursday, reaching $6.57. The stock had a trading volume of 5,037,094 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,253,224. Banco Santander has a 1 year low of $4.27 and a 1 year high of $7.16. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $6.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Banco Santander will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

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Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.1152 per share. This is a positive change from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. Banco Santander's payout ratio is presently 19.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SAN has been the topic of a number of recent 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. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Banco Santander presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

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