Advanced Portfolio Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Advanced Portfolio Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 800,000 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 50,000 shares during the period. Banco Santander accounts for approximately 4.3% of Advanced Portfolio Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Advanced Portfolio Management LLC's holdings in Banco Santander were worth $3,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its position in Banco Santander by 106.3% in the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 9,101,145 shares of the bank's stock worth $41,501,000 after buying an additional 4,689,461 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Banco Santander by 46.4% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,775,261 shares of the bank's stock worth $49,135,000 after acquiring an additional 3,413,685 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Banco Santander by 55.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,301,711 shares of the bank's stock valued at $16,839,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178,449 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Banco Santander by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,953,176 shares of the bank's stock valued at $100,106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,449 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Banco Santander by 4,041.6% in the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 990,966 shares of the bank's stock worth $4,519,000 after purchasing an additional 967,039 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Banco Santander from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Santander Price Performance

SAN traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $7.19. 2,779,186 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,501,388. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.97. Banco Santander, S.A. has a one year low of $4.27 and a one year high of $7.46.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.22. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. The business had revenue of $17.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.94 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.1152 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. Banco Santander's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.39%.

Banco Santander 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.