Banco Santander Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:SAN)

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 13,194 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,244% compared to the average volume of 982 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SAN. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Banco Santander by 2,226.3% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the bank’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 5,588 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. WealthCollab LLC grew its position in shares of Banco Santander by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in shares of Banco Santander in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Santander Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:SAN traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $6.89. 1,706,191 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,188,963. The firm has a market cap of $104.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.30, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 2.24. Banco Santander has a 52-week low of $4.27 and a 52-week high of $7.16. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $5.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.15.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last announced its 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 return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Banco Santander will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.1152 per share. This is an increase from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on SAN. Morgan Stanley upgraded Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. 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 lowered Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “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.