Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Upgrades Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) to “Moderate Buy”

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) was upgraded by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy”.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

NYSE:SAN opened at $6.34 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. The stock has a market cap of $95.99 billion, a PE ratio of 7.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.12. Banco Santander has a fifty-two week low of $4.07 and a fifty-two week high of $6.39.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share 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%. Analysts expect that Banco Santander will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atria Investments Inc raised its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 28,990 shares of the bank’s stock worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,917 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC raised its stake in Banco Santander by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Banco Santander by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 17,230 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 2,032 shares in the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 17,220 shares of the bank’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 2,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Banco Santander by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 50,013 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

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.