Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Stake Cut by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC lessened its stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 613,025 shares of the bank's stock after selling 55,318 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Banco Santander were worth $2,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. raised its stake in Banco Santander by 197.0% during the fourth quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 557,390 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,542,000 after buying an additional 369,700 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 62.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 105,415 shares of the bank's stock valued at $479,000 after acquiring an additional 40,438 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,319,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Banco Santander in the third quarter worth $647,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Banco Santander by 55.5% during the third 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. Institutional investors own 9.19% of the company's stock.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SAN traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $6.73. 4,825,902 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,506,333. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $6.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $101.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.10, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.81. Banco Santander, S.A. has a twelve month low of $4.27 and a twelve month high of $7.16.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.21. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.1152 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This is a positive change from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. This represents a yield of 2.4%. Banco Santander's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on SAN. StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy".

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.