Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Reaches New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $7.21 and last traded at $7.21, with a volume of 865855 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.11.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on SAN. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Banco Santander Stock Up 2.5 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.51. The company has a market capitalization of $112.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.21. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.1152 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This is an increase from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. Banco Santander's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 9.8% during the first quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 19,206 shares of the bank's stock worth $129,000 after buying an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 28,990 shares of the bank's stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 1,917 shares in the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 35.1% during the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Banco Santander by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 17,230 shares of the bank's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 2,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riversedge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Banco Santander by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 17,220 shares of the bank's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 2,148 shares during the last quarter. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Banco Santander

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.