Aquatic Capital Management LLC Boosts Stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 168.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 184,639 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 115,839 shares during the quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC's holdings in Banco Santander were worth $842,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SAN. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Banco Santander by 2,226.3% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the bank's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 5,588 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Banco Santander during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new position in shares of Banco Santander in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the third quarter valued at $45,000. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SAN has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Banco Santander from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Santander Price Performance

Banco Santander stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $7.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,162,888 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,492,719. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.72 billion, a PE ratio of 8.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $6.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.59. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 1-year low of $4.27 and a 1-year high of $7.46. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. The business had revenue of $17.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.94 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

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

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.