Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Receives Consensus Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Banco Santander has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from four research firms, with one analyst rating it as a hold, two as buy, and one as a strong buy.
• The bank reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.22, matching expectations, along with revenues exceeding analysts’ predictions at $17.69 billion.
• Recent institutional investment activity saw significant stake increases from entities such as FMR LLC and Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC, signaling growing confidence in the stock.

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Buy" by the four brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company.

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Banco Santander in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th.

Banco Santander Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:SAN traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $8.90. 3,797,785 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,736,531. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $8.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.02. Banco Santander has a 12 month low of $4.27 and a 12 month high of $8.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.99.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. Banco Santander had a net margin of 16.92% and a return on equity of 12.26%. The firm had revenue of $17.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.94 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Banco Santander will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SAN. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter valued at $100,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the 4th quarter worth about $3,319,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Banco Santander by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,407,110 shares of the bank's stock valued at $15,536,000 after purchasing an additional 159,378 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Banco Santander by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 547,543 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,497,000 after buying an additional 17,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in Banco Santander by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 563,545 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,570,000 after buying an additional 30,906 shares during the last quarter. 9.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.