Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, UBS Group upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th.

Banco Santander Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:SAN opened at $4.76 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Banco Santander has a 12-month low of $3.83 and a 12-month high of $5.27.

Banco Santander Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a yield of 3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning raised its holdings in Banco Santander by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,341,733 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,843,000 after buying an additional 159,610 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Banco Santander by 24.4% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,637,838 shares of the bank’s stock worth $7,583,000 after buying an additional 321,772 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in Banco Santander by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 4,824,760 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $23,352,000 after purchasing an additional 834,200 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Banco Santander by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 249,397 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,207,000 after purchasing an additional 5,634 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 216,836 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,004,000 after purchasing an additional 20,163 shares during the period. 9.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.