Versant Capital Management Inc Increases Position in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 48,283.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 72,575 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 72,425 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in Banco Santander were worth $486,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 197.0% during the 4th quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 557,390 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,542,000 after purchasing an additional 369,700 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 62.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 105,415 shares of the bank's stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 40,438 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,319,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Banco Santander by 284.9% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 670,513 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,057,000 after acquiring an additional 496,309 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Global Investments lifted its holdings in Banco Santander by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 227,478 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 92,987 shares during the last quarter. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Santander Price Performance

NYSE:SAN traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $8.03. The stock had a trading volume of 4,641,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,713,283. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Banco Santander, S.A. has a one year low of $4.27 and a one year high of $8.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.97.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.22. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. The firm had revenue of $17.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.94 billion. Research analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.1152 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Banco Santander's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on SAN shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy".

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.