SG Americas Securities LLC Has $438,000 Stock Position in Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR)

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR - Free Report) by 140.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,004 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 7,600 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Sandy Spring Bancorp were worth $438,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 96.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 70,599 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,215,000 after purchasing an additional 34,735 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Sandy Spring Bancorp by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 807,940 shares of the bank's stock worth $25,345,000 after buying an additional 75,596 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Sandy Spring Bancorp by 3.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,072,619 shares of the bank's stock valued at $33,654,000 after buying an additional 35,271 shares in the last quarter. SPC Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Sandy Spring Bancorp during the third quarter valued at about $1,975,000. Finally, Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp in the third quarter worth about $4,906,000. 66.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Stock Up 2.2 %

NASDAQ:SASR traded up $0.74 on Thursday, hitting $35.08. 153,236 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 238,293. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $34.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a PE ratio of 77.96 and a beta of 0.97. Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. has a 1 year low of $19.52 and a 1 year high of $39.55.

Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.01). Sandy Spring Bancorp had a net margin of 2.65% and a return on equity of 5.31%. Equities analysts anticipate that Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. will post 2.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.88%. Sandy Spring Bancorp's payout ratio is 302.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "sell" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.25.

About Sandy Spring Bancorp

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.