Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $5.83 and last traded at $5.83, with a volume of 4713838 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley raised Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th.

Banco Santander Stock Up 4.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $92.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.02, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $4.85 and its 200-day moving average is $4.84.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 EPS 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prospect Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Banco Santander in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in Banco Santander by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 563,545 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,570,000 after acquiring an additional 30,906 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Banco Santander by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 547,543 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,497,000 after purchasing an additional 17,015 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,407,110 shares of the bank’s stock worth $15,536,000 after purchasing an additional 159,378 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.