Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 7,060,000 shares, a decline of 20.7% from the September 15th total of 8,900,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on SAN shares. StockNews.com downgraded Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 22nd. UBS Group raised Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

NYSE SAN traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $5.01. 2,221,626 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,677,025. The business’s 50 day moving average is $4.86 and its 200-day moving average is $4.88. Banco Santander has a 12-month low of $3.52 and a 12-month high of $5.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.14.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The bank reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22. The firm had revenue of $16.87 billion during the quarter. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.35% and a return on equity of 11.42%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Banco Santander will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAN. Sunpointe LLC acquired a new position in Banco Santander during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Syon Capital LLC boosted its position in Banco Santander by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 19,730 shares of the bank’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 5,308 shares during the period. Abel Hall LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the 4th quarter valued at $102,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Banco Santander by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 15,786,825 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $65,357,000 after purchasing an additional 892,960 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the fourth quarter worth about $229,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

About Banco Santander

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.