Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Buys Shares of 25,410 Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 25,410 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $692,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of SASR. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 9,584 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 39.9% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 22,395 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,006,000 after acquiring an additional 6,386 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can grew its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 27.4% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 3,967 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $187,000 after buying an additional 853 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,741,687 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $123,156,000 after buying an additional 261,172 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 148,280 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,661,000 after buying an additional 5,341 shares during the period. 66.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SASR traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $20.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 29,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 297,878. Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. has a 12-month low of $19.27 and a 12-month high of $27.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $21.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $910.35 million, a P/E ratio of 7.31 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $182.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.53 million. Sandy Spring Bancorp had a net margin of 17.43% and a return on equity of 8.66%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. will post 2.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.72%. Sandy Spring Bancorp’s payout ratio is 49.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SASR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Sandy Spring Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Stephens cut their price target on Sandy Spring Bancorp from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on Sandy Spring Bancorp in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.00.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Profile

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.