Stifel Financial Corp Lowers Holdings in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Stifel Financial Corp cut its holdings in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Free Report) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 565,233 shares of the bank's stock after selling 39,940 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in Banco Santander were worth $2,577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SAN. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Banco Santander by 2,226.3% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the bank's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 5,588 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.19% of the company's stock.

Banco Santander Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:SAN traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $7.18. The company had a trading volume of 3,591,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,513,182. The company has a 50-day moving average of $6.71 and a 200 day moving average of $5.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. The company has a market cap of $108.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.97. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 1 year low of $4.27 and a 1 year high of $7.46.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. The company had revenue of $17.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.94 billion. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. Sell-side analysts expect that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.1152 dividend. This is a positive change from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. This represents a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Banco Santander's payout ratio is 18.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Banco Santander from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Banco Santander Company Profile

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.