Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Buy" Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Banco Santander to a "Buy" from "Hold" on Sunday, and the analyst consensus across firms stands at 1 Strong Buy, 5 Buy, 3 Hold and 1 Sell — an average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Banco Santander beat recent quarter expectations, reporting $0.28 EPS versus $0.24 expected and $17.68 billion in revenue versus $15.89 billion, with a net margin of 18.85% and ROE of 12.14%.
• SAN opened at $11.95 (up ~0.5%), with a market cap of $175.46 billion, a P/E of 11.83 and a 52‑week range of $6.82 to $13.24.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

SAN has been the topic of several other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Banco Santander from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Banco Santander from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Barclays downgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research report on Monday, February 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Banco Santander has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Santander Stock Up 0.5%

SAN stock opened at $11.95 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.15. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $175.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.76. Banco Santander has a 52 week low of $6.82 and a 52 week high of $13.24.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $17.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.89 billion. Banco Santander had a net margin of 18.85% and a return on equity of 12.14%. Equities analysts forecast that Banco Santander will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc grew its stake in Banco Santander by 96.2% during the third quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 3,227 shares of the bank's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 1,582 shares during the period. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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