Short Interest in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Decreases By 34.0%

Key Points

• Short interest in Banco Santander, S.A. decreased by 34.0% in September, with current short interest totaling 5,430,000 shares.
• Analysts have mixed reviews for Banco Santander, with ratings ranging from "strong sell" to "strong buy", and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company announced a dividend of $0.0956 per share to be paid on November 6th, with a yield of 196.0%.

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 5,430,000 shares, a drop of 34.0% from the September 15th total of 8,230,000 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 4,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 4,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SAN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Kepler Capital Markets lowered Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAN. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Banco Santander in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.19% of the company's stock.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

NYSE SAN traded up $0.10 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $9.75. 832,903 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,234,122. The stock has a market cap of $145.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $9.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.57. Banco Santander has a 1 year low of $4.43 and a 1 year high of $10.50.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The bank reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.26 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $17.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.69 billion. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.98% and a net margin of 17.30%. Banco Santander has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Research analysts forecast that Banco Santander will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.0956 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 196.0%. Banco Santander's payout ratio is 21.11%.

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.

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