Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Shares Gap Up to $4.86

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $4.86, but opened at $5.01. Banco Santander shares last traded at $5.02, with a volume of 2,077,882 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Barclays upgraded shares of Banco Santander from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 25th.

Banco Santander Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.24. The company has a market cap of $78.97 billion, a PE ratio of 6.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The bank reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18. The company had revenue of $15.67 billion during the quarter. Banco Santander had a net margin of 19.29% and a return on equity of 10.82%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.1027 per share. This is a boost from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.09. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. Banco Santander's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC lifted its position in Banco Santander by 25.1% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 27,861 shares of the bank's stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 5,591 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 37,488 shares of the bank's stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 4,216 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in Banco Santander by 21.1% in the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 83,207 shares of the bank's stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 14,492 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments bought a new position in Banco Santander during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, SOL Capital Management CO grew its position in shares of Banco Santander by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. SOL Capital Management CO now owns 27,177 shares of the bank's stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 4,100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.19% of the company's stock.

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.