QRG Capital Management Inc. Raises Stock Position in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) by 3.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,690,877 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 53,039 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Banco Santander were worth $8,623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in Banco Santander by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 4,824,760 shares of the bank’s stock worth $23,352,000 after acquiring an additional 834,200 shares in the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 56.1% in the first quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC now owns 1,417,650 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,861,000 after purchasing an additional 509,541 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 33.3% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,430,296 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,923,000 after purchasing an additional 357,460 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. purchased a new stake in Banco Santander during the 1st quarter worth $1,261,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in Banco Santander by 38.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 891,187 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,126,000 after buying an additional 245,765 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

Banco Santander Price Performance

Shares of SAN opened at $4.98 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08. Banco Santander, S.A. has a 52 week low of $3.71 and a 52 week high of $5.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4.95 and a 200-day moving average of $4.89. The firm has a market cap of $78.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.23, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.14.

Banco Santander Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a yield of 3%. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SAN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Banco Santander from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group raised shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th.

About Banco Santander

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.