Cerity Partners LLC Has $2.91 Million Stock Holdings in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Cerity Partners LLC lowered its stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 613,025 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 55,318 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Banco Santander were worth $2,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the third quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

Banco Santander Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Banco Santander stock opened at $6.55 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.37. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 52-week low of $4.27 and a 52-week high of $7.16. The firm has a market cap of $99.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, hitting 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, equities research analysts expect that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.1152 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. Banco Santander’s payout ratio is currently 19.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SAN has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Banco Santander 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.