Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on Banco Santander Chile, with one sell, four hold, three buy and one strong-buy recommendation. The average 1-year price target is $35.40.
• BSAC shares opened at $35.78, up 2.6%, near their 52-week high of $37.72. The bank reported quarterly EPS of $0.87, $905.26 million in revenue, a 27.04% net margin and a 22.94% return on equity.
• Institutional ownership remains limited at 6.42%, although several investment firms recently increased their positions in the stock.

Shares of Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $35.40.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BSAC shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Banco Santander Chile from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Banco Santander Chile from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded Banco Santander Chile from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Banco Santander Chile from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Banco Santander Chile from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st.

Banco Santander Chile Stock Up 2.6%

Banco Santander Chile stock opened at $35.78 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 1.72. Banco Santander Chile has a 52-week low of $24.06 and a 52-week high of $37.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $34.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $33.15. The firm has a market cap of $16.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.66, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.51.

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 30th. The bank reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter. Banco Santander Chile had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 22.94%. The company had revenue of $905.26 million for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Banco Santander Chile will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander Chile

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Banco Santander Chile during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 739.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,486 shares of the bank's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,309 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 199.8% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the bank's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,007 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 577.8% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,559 shares of the bank's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,329 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Banco Santander Chile by 703.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,666 shares of the bank's stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 2,334 shares in the last quarter. 6.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Banco Santander Chile

Banco Santander Chile NYSE: BSAC is one of the leading financial institutions in Chile and a key component of the global Santander Group. The bank offers a comprehensive range of banking and financial services, including retail and commercial lending, deposit accounts, credit cards, wealth management, insurance products and corporate banking solutions. Headquartered in Santiago, it operates an extensive network of branches, ATMs and digital platforms to serve individual customers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations across the country.

Originally founded as Banco de Santiago in the late 1970s, the institution became part of the Santander Group following the privatization wave in Chile during the late 1980s.

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