Northern Trust Corp Increases Stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 46.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,775,261 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 3,413,685 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 0.07% of Banco Santander worth $49,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Banco Santander by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,953,176 shares of the bank's stock worth $100,106,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,449 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Banco Santander by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 9,101,145 shares of the bank's stock worth $41,501,000 after acquiring an additional 4,689,461 shares during the period. Todd Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Banco Santander by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 8,896,192 shares of the bank's stock worth $40,567,000 after acquiring an additional 45,326 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its stake in Banco Santander by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 5,429,260 shares of the bank's stock worth $24,757,000 after acquiring an additional 362,500 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Banco Santander by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,407,110 shares of the bank's stock worth $15,536,000 after acquiring an additional 159,378 shares during the period. 9.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Santander Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of SAN traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $7.44. 3,071,734 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,525,407. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 1-year low of $4.27 and a 1-year high of $7.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. The company has a market capitalization of $112.66 billion, a PE ratio of 8.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average of $6.77 and a 200 day moving average of $5.65.

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, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.22. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. The company had revenue of $17.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.94 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on SAN shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Banco Santander from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.