Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,900,000 shares, an increase of 20.4% from the August 31st total of 7,390,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,250,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.0 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Banco Santander Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:SAN traded down $0.04 during trading on Monday, hitting $5.10. The stock had a trading volume of 1,320,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,696,567. Banco Santander has a 12-month low of $3.52 and a 12-month high of $5.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.85.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The bank reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.22. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.42% and a net margin of 15.35%. The firm had revenue of $16.87 billion during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Banco Santander will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Santander Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a yield of 3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on SAN. UBS Group upgraded Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com cut Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SAN. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in Banco Santander during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its position in Banco Santander by 1,853.0% during the first quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 8,359 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 7,931 shares in the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the second quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.