Natural Investments LLC Invests $140,000 in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 30,888 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $140,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 197.0% during the 4th quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 557,390 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,542,000 after buying an additional 369,700 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Banco Santander by 111.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 706,184 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after acquiring an additional 372,690 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 33.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 20,893,727 shares of the bank’s stock worth $106,558,000 after acquiring an additional 5,290,236 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Banco Santander by 143.0% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 345,524 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,757,000 after purchasing an additional 203,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 62.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 105,415 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 40,438 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

Banco Santander Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE SAN opened at $6.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. The business has a 50-day moving average of $5.55 and a 200-day moving average of $5.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.83, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 12 month low of $4.27 and a 12 month high of $6.83.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. Sell-side analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.1152 per share. This is an increase from Banco Santander’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a yield of 2.4%. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. 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, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average 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.