Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Banco Santander from buy to hold, though the stock still carries a broader Moderate Buy consensus from analysts overall.
• The bank’s shares were trading around $13.53, up near their 52-week high of $14.39, with a market value of about $198.67 billion.
• Banco Santander recently reported Q1 earnings of $0.27 per share, missing estimates, while hedge funds and other institutional investors continued to adjust positions in the stock.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Banco Santander from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Banco Santander from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Santander reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Santander Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Banco Santander stock opened at $13.53 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.67 billion, a PE ratio of 11.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.72. Banco Santander has a 12 month low of $8.29 and a 12 month high of $14.39. The business's 50-day moving average price is $12.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.31.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $17.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.66 billion. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 26.92%. As a group, analysts predict that Banco Santander will post 1.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 117.9% during the first quarter. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,308 shares of the bank's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Banco Santander during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Banco Santander during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 151.1% during the second quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,471 shares of the bank's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.19% of the company's stock.

About Banco Santander

Banco Santander, SA NYSE: SAN is a Spanish multinational banking group headquartered in Santander, Spain. Founded in 1857, the bank has grown from a regional institution into one of Europe's largest banking groups, operating a diversified financial services platform that serves retail, small and medium-sized enterprises, and large corporate clients. Santander is publicly listed in Spain and maintains American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SAN.

The group's core activities include retail and commercial banking—offering deposit accounts, payment services, mortgages, personal and auto loans, and small business financing—alongside corporate and investment banking services for larger institutional clients.

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