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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SAN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Banco Santander in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Banco Santander currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Banco Santander Trading Up 1.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $122.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.76, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.00. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $7.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.15.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. The company had revenue of $17.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.94 billion. Banco Santander had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.90%. Equities analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC raised its position in Banco Santander by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,953,176 shares of the bank's stock worth $100,106,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,449 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 30.5% in the first quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 11,875,594 shares of the bank's stock valued at $79,566,000 after purchasing an additional 2,774,449 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Banco Santander by 6.3% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 11,457,741 shares of the bank's stock valued at $76,767,000 after acquiring an additional 682,480 shares during the period. Todd Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 8,896,192 shares of the bank's stock worth $40,567,000 after purchasing an additional 45,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its holdings in Banco Santander by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 5,429,260 shares of the bank's stock valued at $24,757,000 after acquiring an additional 362,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.