Savant Capital LLC Lowers Stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Savant Capital LLC cut its stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 194,619 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 17,979 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Banco Santander were worth $806,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Riversedge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. purchased a new stake in Banco Santander during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 10,795 shares of the bank’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 3,415 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boltwood Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. 9.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

SAN opened at $4.83 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $4.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.21. The company has a market cap of $76.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.96. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 52-week low of $3.20 and a 52-week high of $5.17.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The bank reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18. The business had revenue of $15.67 billion during the quarter. Banco Santander had a net margin of 14.98% and a return on equity of 10.95%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.1027 dividend. This is a positive change from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.09. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a yield of 3.2%. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Barclays upgraded Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 25th.

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.