** Shares of bank holding co SASR.O up as much as 1.16% at
$45.50
** The parent company of Sandy Spring Bank has authorized
the repurchase of up to $50 million of co's stock
** Says no purchases will be made until after the first
quarter earnings release in mid-April urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nGNX8Xh1f2
** Says the buyback program has no time limit and may be
modified, suspended or discontinued at any time-SASR
** Stock down ~5% YTD, as of last close
(Reporting by Rithika Krishna in Bengaluru)
((Rithika.Krishna@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: https://twitter.com/rithika_krishna;))