Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Hits New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $6.10 and last traded at $6.11, with a volume of 60981 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on SAN shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded Banco Santander from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Banco Santander Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $5.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.91. The company has a market capitalization of $95.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.12.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. Analysts expect that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 33.9% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 20,893,727 shares of the bank's stock worth $106,558,000 after purchasing an additional 5,290,236 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its position in Banco Santander by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 9,101,145 shares of the bank's stock worth $41,501,000 after buying an additional 4,689,461 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Banco Santander by 46.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,775,261 shares of the bank's stock valued at $49,135,000 after buying an additional 3,413,685 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Santander by 1.4% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 143,585,152 shares of the bank's stock valued at $732,284,000 after buying an additional 2,011,150 shares during the last quarter. 9.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.