HighTower Advisors LLC Buys 203,322 Shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) by 143.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 345,524 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 203,322 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Banco Santander were worth $1,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 20,308 shares of the bank’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 2,822 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 32.6% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,920 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 3,911 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 73,521 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 3,675 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 34.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 69,648 shares of the bank’s stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 17,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Banco Santander by 1,497.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 33,118 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 31,045 shares in the last quarter. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. UBS Group raised shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th.

Banco Santander Price Performance

Banco Santander stock opened at $4.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.70 billion, a PE ratio of 6.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $4.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $4.84. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 12 month low of $3.83 and a 12 month high of $5.27.

Banco Santander Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a yield of 3%. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.75%.

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.