Short Interest in Banco Santander Brasil SA (NYSE:BSBR) Increases By 64.2%

Key Points

• The short interest in Banco Santander Brasil SA increased by 64.2%, with a total of 1,200,000 shares reported as of July 15th.
• The company has announced a dividend increase, boosting the payout to $0.0655 per share, which represents a yield of 526.0%.
• Analyst ratings for Banco Santander Brasil vary, with UBS upgrading it to a "buy" while Wall Street Zen downgraded it to a "hold", leading to an average rating of "Hold."

Banco Santander Brasil SA (NYSE:BSBR - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,200,000 shares, anincreaseof64.2% from the June 30th total of 730,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 537,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 537,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Banco Santander Brasil from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Banco Santander Brasil from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $5.35.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander Brasil

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BSBR. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new position in Banco Santander Brasil during the 2nd quarter worth $123,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Banco Santander Brasil by 553.9% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,997 shares of the bank's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 5,927 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in shares of Banco Santander Brasil by 48.9% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 11,617 shares of the bank's stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 3,813 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander Brasil by 27.5% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 20,256 shares of the bank's stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 4,372 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander Brasil in the first quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 14.53% of the company's stock.

Banco Santander Brasil Trading Up 1.1%

Banco Santander Brasil stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $4.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 518,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 662,521. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.28, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $5.15 and a 200-day moving average of $4.88. Banco Santander Brasil has a one year low of $3.75 and a one year high of $5.77. The stock has a market cap of $18.07 billion, a PE ratio of 5.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.73.

Banco Santander Brasil Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 22nd will be paid a $0.0655 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. This represents a yield of 526.0%. This is a boost from Banco Santander Brasil's previous dividend of $0.05. Banco Santander Brasil's payout ratio is 32.10%.

About Banco Santander Brasil

Banco Santander (Brasil) SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services to individuals, small and medium enterprises, and corporate customers in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Commercial Banking and Global Wholesale Banking segments. It offers local loans, commercial financing options, development bank funds, and cash management services; export and import financing, guarantees, structuring of asset services.