Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Reaches New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high 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

SAN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Banco Santander Stock Down 5.4 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $106.07 billion, a PE ratio of 8.43, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.81. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $6.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.52. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting 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, analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.1152 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This is a positive change 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 is 19.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Banco Santander during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 2,226.3% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the bank's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 5,588 shares during the period. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, WealthCollab LLC increased its position in Banco Santander by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,028 shares during the period. 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.