Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Increases Holdings in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 62.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 105,415 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 40,438 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC's holdings in Banco Santander were worth $479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAN. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Banco Santander by 1.4% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 143,585,152 shares of the bank's stock valued at $732,284,000 after purchasing an additional 2,011,150 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in Banco Santander by 33.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 20,893,727 shares of the bank's stock valued at $106,558,000 after buying an additional 5,290,236 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the third quarter worth about $53,000. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Banco Santander by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 9,101,145 shares of the bank's stock worth $41,501,000 after purchasing an additional 4,689,461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Todd Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Banco Santander by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 8,896,192 shares of the bank's stock worth $40,567,000 after purchasing an additional 45,326 shares in the last quarter. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Banco Santander Stock Performance

SAN traded up $0.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $6.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 715,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,448,272. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 52-week low of $4.26 and a 52-week high of $6.78. The company's fifty day moving average price is $5.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.02. The company has a market capitalization of $103.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 2.24.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Company Profile

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.