Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest fell 51.3% to 52.4 million shares as of August 31, down from 107.7 million shares two weeks earlier. Short interest represents 0.4% of outstanding shares, with a days-to-cover ratio of 2.1.
• Banco Santander shares opened at $14.93, near their 52-week high of $15.05, with a market capitalization of $219.3 billion. The stock’s average analyst rating is “Moderate Buy,” based on six Buy, three Hold and one Sell rating.
• The bank reported quarterly EPS of $0.27, slightly below the $0.29 consensus estimate, while revenue of $17.93 billion narrowly exceeded expectations. Institutional investors own 9.19% of the company.

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 52,415,840 shares, a decrease of 51.3% from the August 15th total of 107,668,073 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 24,793,327 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 0.4% of the company's shares are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Banco Santander by 117.9% during the first quarter. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,308 shares of the bank's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Banco Santander during the first quarter worth $28,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 151.1% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,471 shares of the bank's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 9.19% of the company's stock.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

NYSE SAN opened at $14.93 on Monday. Banco Santander has a twelve month low of $9.62 and a twelve month high of $15.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $219.28 billion, a PE ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.91.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $17.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.90 billion. Banco Santander had a net margin of 26.94% and a return on equity of 12.43%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Banco Santander will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SAN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Banco Santander from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Santander reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Banco Santander in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Banco Santander from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

About Banco Santander

Banco Santander, SA is a global banking group headquartered in Santander, Spain. Founded in 1857, the company provides financial products and services to individuals, businesses, institutions and governments through its banking operations in Europe, North America and South America.

Its principal activities include retail and commercial banking, consumer finance, corporate and investment banking, private banking, asset management, insurance and payment services. Santander offers products such as current and savings accounts, mortgages, personal loans, credit cards, business financing, investment products and digital banking services.

The group operates through established franchises in markets including Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Poland, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and the United States.

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