Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Shares Sold by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. trimmed its position in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 90.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,262 shares of the bank's stock after selling 497,790 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Banco Santander were worth $233,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $119,000. Sunpointe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Syon Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 19,730 shares of the bank's stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 5,308 shares during the period. Abel Hall LLC acquired a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter valued at about $102,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 15,786,825 shares of the bank's stock valued at $65,357,000 after purchasing an additional 892,960 shares during the period. 9.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SAN. StockNews.com cut shares of Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 22nd. UBS Group upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th.

Banco Santander Price Performance

Shares of SAN stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $4.98. The company had a trading volume of 1,568,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,691,492. Banco Santander, S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $3.52 and a fifty-two week high of $5.27. The company's fifty day moving average is $4.82 and its 200 day moving average is $4.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.81 billion, a PE ratio of 6.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.14.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The bank reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.42% and a net margin of 15.35%. The company had revenue of $16.87 billion for the quarter. Equities analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Santander Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. Banco Santander's payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

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.