BNP Paribas Financial Markets Increases Position in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 111.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 706,184 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 372,690 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Banco Santander were worth $3,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning increased its stake in Banco Santander by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,341,733 shares of the bank's stock worth $6,843,000 after purchasing an additional 159,610 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Banco Santander by 24.4% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,637,838 shares of the bank's stock valued at $7,583,000 after buying an additional 321,772 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Banco Santander by 47.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 668,343 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,409,000 after buying an additional 214,868 shares during the period. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 467.9% in the 3rd quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 235,177 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 193,767 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its position 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. Institutional investors own 9.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on SAN shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded Banco Santander from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group raised Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 28th.

Banco Santander Stock Up 4.3 %

Banco Santander stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $4.89. 4,313,881 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,753,497. Banco Santander, S.A. has a one year low of $3.83 and a one year high of $5.27. The company has a market cap of $77.39 billion, a PE ratio of 6.11, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.12. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $4.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08.

Banco Santander Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a yield of 3%. Banco Santander's payout ratio is 18.75%.

Banco Santander 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.