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

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $8.12 and last traded at $8.12, with a volume of 1161739 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on SAN shares. Citigroup started coverage on Banco Santander in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Banco Santander Trading Down 1.5%

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $7.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $6.19. The company has a market cap of $120.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 2.24.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.22. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. The firm had revenue of $17.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.94 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its position in Banco Santander by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 19,206 shares of the bank's stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc raised its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 28,990 shares of the bank's stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,917 shares during the last quarter. WealthCollab LLC lifted 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in Banco Santander by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 19,459 shares of the bank's stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 2,393 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.19% of the company's stock.

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.