StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR)

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank's stock.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SASR traded down $0.80 on Friday, hitting $31.18. 99,233 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 237,956. The company's 50 day moving average price is $33.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.55 and a beta of 0.97. Sandy Spring Bancorp has a one year low of $19.52 and a one 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 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts expect that Sandy Spring Bancorp will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

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Sandy Spring Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.36%. Sandy Spring Bancorp's payout ratio is 302.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SASR. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 45.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,853,807 shares of the bank's stock worth $62,492,000 after purchasing an additional 582,309 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP grew its position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,116,052 shares of the bank's stock worth $37,622,000 after buying an additional 90,825 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,072,619 shares of the bank's stock valued at $33,654,000 after acquiring an additional 35,271 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 937,531 shares of the bank's stock valued at $31,604,000 after acquiring an additional 129,591 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Sandy Spring Bancorp by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 893,547 shares of the bank's stock valued at $30,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,815 shares during the period. 66.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.