Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) in a research note released on Wednesday. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Stock Down 3.7 %

Shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp stock opened at $33.52 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 74.49 and a beta of 0.97. Sandy Spring Bancorp has a 52-week low of $19.52 and a 52-week high of $39.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.01). Sandy Spring Bancorp had a net margin of 2.65% and a return on equity of 5.31%. On average, analysts anticipate that Sandy Spring Bancorp will post 2.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.06%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Sandy Spring Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 302.23%.

Institutional Trading of Sandy Spring Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SASR. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Sandy Spring Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Vestcor Inc purchased a new stake in Sandy Spring Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $170,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth $204,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp in the third quarter worth $217,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.90% of the company’s stock.

About Sandy Spring Bancorp

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Sandy Spring Bank that provides commercial and retail banking, mortgage, private banking, and trust services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It offers financial products and services, including various loan and deposit products.