Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $7.97 and last traded at $7.95, with a volume of 5610285 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $7.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SAN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Banco Santander from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen raised Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Banco Santander from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy".

Banco Santander Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 2.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $6.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.85.

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

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.1152 per share. This is a boost from Banco Santander's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.08. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Banco Santander's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.69%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westbourne Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Banco Santander in the first quarter worth $453,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Santander in the first quarter valued at $601,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Banco Santander by 358.5% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 14,177 shares of the bank's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 11,085 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Banco Santander by 65.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 71,169 shares of the bank's stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 28,107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Banco Santander during the 1st quarter worth approximately $339,000. 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.