Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $6.22 and last traded at $6.18, with a volume of 589653 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.03.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SAN shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Banco Santander from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Banco Santander from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Banco Santander currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Banco Santander Price Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $5.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.92. The stock has a market cap of $93.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.83, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.21. Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 15.88%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SAN. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. grew its position in shares of Banco Santander by 197.0% in the fourth quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 557,390 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,542,000 after purchasing an additional 369,700 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Banco Santander by 111.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 706,184 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after acquiring an additional 372,690 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Banco Santander by 33.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 20,893,727 shares of the bank’s stock worth $106,558,000 after purchasing an additional 5,290,236 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Banco Santander by 143.0% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 345,524 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,757,000 after buying an additional 203,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Banco Santander by 47.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 668,343 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,409,000 after acquiring an additional 214,868 shares in the last quarter. 9.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.