Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR) Shares Sold by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lessened its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR - Free Report) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 97,195 shares of the bank's stock after selling 10,000 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.22% of Sandy Spring Bancorp worth $3,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Sandy Spring Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at about $170,000. Stifel Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at about $217,000. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,086 shares of the bank's stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 1,525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 66.2% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,952 shares of the bank's stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 3,168 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on Sandy Spring Bancorp in a research note on Thursday. They set a "sell" rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.25.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Price Performance

SASR stock traded down $1.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $31.62. The stock had a trading volume of 213,811 shares, compared to its average volume of 219,223. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.52 and a twelve month high of $39.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.27 and a beta of 0.97. The company's 50-day moving average price is $33.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.32.

Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.01). Sandy Spring Bancorp had a return on equity of 5.31% and a net margin of 2.65%. As a group, research analysts predict that Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Sandy Spring Bancorp's payout ratio is 302.23%.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Company Profile

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Sandy Spring Bank that provides commercial and retail banking, mortgage, private banking, and trust services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It offers financial products and services, including various loan and deposit products.