Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Cuts Position in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,472,665 shares of the bank's stock after selling 266,232 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Banco Santander were worth $6,715,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Banco Santander in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Banco Santander during the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.19% of the company's stock.

Banco Santander Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Banco Santander stock opened at $6.73 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 2.24. The company has a market capitalization of $101.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.10, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.81. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 1 year low of $4.27 and a 1 year high of $7.16. The company's fifty day moving average is $6.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.42.

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, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.21. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. Analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.1152 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This is a boost from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. Banco Santander's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SAN shares. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

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.

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