Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC) Sees Large Volume Increase - Time to Buy?

Shares of Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 309,092 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 6% from the previous session's volume of 290,700 shares.The stock last traded at $24.46 and had previously closed at $23.97.

Banco Santander-Chile Stock Up 3.6 %

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $22.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.58 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.72.

Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The bank reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.05). Banco Santander-Chile had a return on equity of 19.15% and a net margin of 19.16%. As a group, analysts expect that Banco Santander-Chile will post 2.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Santander-Chile Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.349 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is a positive change from Banco Santander-Chile's previous annual dividend of $1.25. Banco Santander-Chile's payout ratio is currently 51.55%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander-Chile

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Santander-Chile by 601.6% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,810 shares of the bank's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,552 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander-Chile by 41.3% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,089 shares of the bank's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 903 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Banco Santander-Chile during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Banco Santander-Chile by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,897 shares of the bank's stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 863 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Banco Santander-Chile by 3,456.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,003 shares of the bank's stock worth $182,000 after purchasing an additional 7,778 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 6.42% of the company's stock.

About Banco Santander-Chile

Banco Santander-Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides commercial and retail banking services in Chile. It operates through Retail Banking, Middle-Market, Corporate Investment Banking, and Corporate Activities segments. The company offers debit and credit cards, checking accounts, and savings products; consumer, automobile, commercial, mortgage, and government-guaranteed loans; and Chilean peso and foreign currency-denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines, as well as mortgage financing services.