Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) in a research note published on Wednesday morning. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ SASR opened at $33.52 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Sandy Spring Bancorp has a 12 month low of $19.52 and a 12 month high of $39.55. The stock has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.49 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50 day moving average is $34.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.16.

Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.01). Sandy Spring Bancorp had a net margin of 2.65% and a return on equity of 5.31%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Sandy Spring Bancorp will post 2.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Sandy Spring Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 302.23%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Sandy Spring Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Vestcor Inc bought a new position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Sandy Spring Bancorp during the third quarter valued at $170,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in Sandy Spring Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp in the third quarter worth about $217,000. 66.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Sandy Spring Bancorp

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Sandy Spring Bank that provides commercial and retail banking, mortgage, private banking, and trust services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It offers financial products and services, including various loan and deposit products.