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

Shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $8.05 and last traded at $8.03, with a volume of 1515578 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SAN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded 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, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Banco Santander Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $120.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.60, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $7.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83.

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, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22. The business had revenue of $17.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.94 billion. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. As a group, 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 declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.1152 per share. This represents a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This is an increase from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. Banco Santander's payout ratio is 20.69%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAN. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Banco Santander by 2,226.3% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the bank's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 5,588 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Banco Santander during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, WealthCollab LLC boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.19% of the company's stock.

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.