Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC) Hits New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Shares of Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $23.81 and last traded at $23.47, with a volume of 252143 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.12.

Banco Santander-Chile Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $22.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70. The company has a market cap of $11.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.72.

Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The bank reported $0.61 EPS 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, research analysts expect that Banco Santander-Chile will post 2.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander-Chile Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander-Chile

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,552 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted 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 valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 903 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Banco Santander-Chile during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Banco Santander-Chile by 12.3% during 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 raised its holdings 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 valued at $182,000 after acquiring an additional 7,778 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.42% of the company's stock.

Banco Santander-Chile Company Profile

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.