Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Sells 48,509 Shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 11.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 360,070 shares of the bank's stock after selling 48,509 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Banco Santander were worth $2,412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 62.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 105,415 shares of the bank's stock worth $479,000 after acquiring an additional 40,438 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the fourth quarter worth about $3,319,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Banco Santander by 791.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 294,036 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,970,000 after purchasing an additional 261,066 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in Banco Santander by 284.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 670,513 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,057,000 after purchasing an additional 496,309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments lifted its holdings in Banco Santander by 69.1% in the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 227,478 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,037,000 after buying an additional 92,987 shares during the period. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SAN. Wall Street Zen upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Banco Santander in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Banco Santander Price Performance

SAN traded up $0.05 on Monday, hitting $8.29. The company had a trading volume of 3,358,143 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,080,316. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.00. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 52-week low of $4.27 and a 52-week high of $8.39.

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

About Banco Santander

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.