Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Shares Acquired by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,816,806 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 125,929 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Banco Santander were worth $8,285,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Banco Santander during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.19% of the company's stock.

Banco Santander Price Performance

NYSE SAN traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $6.48. 8,616,215 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,299,884. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm's 50-day moving average is $5.22 and its 200-day moving average is $4.99. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 52-week low of $4.12 and a 52-week high of $6.60. The company has a market capitalization of $98.19 billion, a PE ratio of 7.81, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.12.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Banco Santander from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Banco Santander presently has an average 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.