19,122 Shares in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Bought by Synovus Financial Corp

Synovus Financial Corp acquired a new position in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 19,122 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $87,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAN. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in Banco Santander by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 28,990 shares of the bank’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 1,917 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in Banco Santander by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 17,230 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 2,032 shares during the period. Riversedge Advisors LLC raised its position in Banco Santander by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 17,220 shares of the bank’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 2,148 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 50,013 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN raised its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 33,952 shares of the bank’s stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 2,392 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

Banco Santander stock opened at $6.73 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 12-month low of $4.27 and a 12-month high of $7.16.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.21. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.1152 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This is a positive change from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio is 19.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy”.

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.