Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) Lowered to "Sell" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Banco Santander Chile from hold to sell, even though the broader analyst consensus still stands at Moderate Buy with a $36.00 target price.
• The stock rose 1.6% to $33.96 on Friday, trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, with a market cap of about $16 billion.
• In its latest quarterly results, Banco Santander Chile reported $0.88 EPS and $245.09 million in revenue, while analysts expect 2.79 EPS for the full fiscal year.

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report released on Sunday.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Itau BBA Securities raised Banco Santander Chile from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Banco Santander Chile from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Banco Santander Chile from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Banco Santander Chile to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Banco Santander Chile in a report on Monday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.00.

Banco Santander Chile Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE BSAC traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $33.96. 452,234 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 339,150. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $31.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.98. The company has a market cap of $16.00 billion, a PE ratio of 14.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.52. Banco Santander Chile has a twelve month low of $22.77 and a twelve month high of $37.72.

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 10th. The bank reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $245.09 million during the quarter. Banco Santander Chile had a net margin of 24.95% and a return on equity of 21.00%. Research analysts predict that Banco Santander Chile will post 2.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander Chile

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BSAC. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander Chile during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 577.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,559 shares of the bank's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,329 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Banco Santander Chile by 199.8% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the bank's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,007 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 739.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,486 shares of the bank's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Banco Santander Chile by 703.0% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,666 shares of the bank's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,334 shares during the period. 6.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Banco Santander Chile

Banco Santander Chile NYSE: BSAC is one of the leading financial institutions in Chile and a key component of the global Santander Group. The bank offers a comprehensive range of banking and financial services, including retail and commercial lending, deposit accounts, credit cards, wealth management, insurance products and corporate banking solutions. Headquartered in Santiago, it operates an extensive network of branches, ATMs and digital platforms to serve individual customers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations across the country.

Originally founded as Banco de Santiago in the late 1970s, the institution became part of the Santander Group following the privatization wave in Chile during the late 1980s.

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