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

Shares of Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $24.64 and last traded at $24.19, with a volume of 949358 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.97.

Banco Santander-Chile Trading Up 1.0 %

The company's 50-day simple moving average is $22.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.73. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a PE ratio of 12.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.72.

Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The bank reported $0.61 earnings per share (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, sell-side analysts expect that Banco Santander-Chile will post 2.07 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $1.349 per share. This is a positive change from Banco Santander-Chile's previous annual dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 4.8%. Banco Santander-Chile's payout ratio is presently 51.55%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander-Chile

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp grew its stake in Banco Santander-Chile by 25.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 293,049 shares of the bank's stock valued at $6,084,000 after purchasing an additional 59,215 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander-Chile in the third quarter valued at $527,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander-Chile by 1.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,164,490 shares of the bank's stock worth $63,859,000 after buying an additional 33,291 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander-Chile during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $736,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Banco Santander-Chile by 2.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,927,417 shares of the bank's stock valued at $81,533,000 after buying an additional 75,888 shares in the last quarter. 6.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.