Prospect Financial Group LLC Invests $46,000 in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Prospect Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 10,079 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $46,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SAN. Atria Investments Inc lifted its position in Banco Santander by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 28,990 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 1,917 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 17,230 shares of the bank’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 2,032 shares during the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Banco Santander by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 17,220 shares of the bank’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 2,148 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Banco Santander by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 50,013 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN lifted its stake in Banco Santander by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 33,952 shares of the bank’s stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 2,392 shares in the last quarter. 9.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SAN shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Banco Santander Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of Banco Santander stock opened at $6.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 52-week low of $4.27 and a 52-week high of $7.16. The company has a market capitalization of $105.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50 day moving average of $5.91 and a 200 day moving average of $5.20.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last issued its 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

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

Banco Santander 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.