Short Interest in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Decreases By 47.2%

Key Points

• Short interest in Banco Santander decreased by 47.2% in July, dropping to 5,430,000 shares, indicating less bearish sentiment among investors.
• Institutional investors have been active, with firms like Richardson Financial and Wayfinding Financial purchasing new positions in Banco Santander during the second and first quarters.
• The bank reported $0.22 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' estimates, while also achieving a revenue of $17.83 billion, surpassing the consensus.

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,430,000 shares, adecreaseof47.2% from the July 15th total of 10,290,000 shares. Currently,0.0% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 6,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 6,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Currently,0.0% of the company's stock are sold short.

Banco Santander Price Performance

NYSE:SAN traded up $0.1950 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $9.7650. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,082,014 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,377,907. Banco Santander has a 1 year low of $4.43 and a 1 year high of $9.82. The stock has a market cap of $145.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.85, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.06. The business's fifty day moving average is $8.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.53.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on SAN shares. Citigroup started coverage on Banco Santander in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets downgraded Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 299,177 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,004,000 after acquiring an additional 34,248 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 791.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 294,036 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,970,000 after acquiring an additional 261,066 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 284.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 670,513 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,057,000 after acquiring an additional 496,309 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 30.5% during the 1st quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 11,875,594 shares of the bank's stock worth $79,566,000 after acquiring an additional 2,774,449 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the 1st quarter worth about $375,000. 9.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.