Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Shares of Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 1,122,526 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 290% from the previous session’s volume of 287,629 shares.The stock last traded at $20.28 and had previously closed at $20.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BSAC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Banco Santander-Chile to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Santander-Chile from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Banco Santander-Chile from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Banco Santander-Chile has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.48.

Banco Santander-Chile Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $20.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.60, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a current ratio of 1.82. The company has a market cap of $9.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.86.

Banco Santander-Chile (NYSE:BSAC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The bank reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.01). Banco Santander-Chile had a return on equity of 11.87% and a net margin of 11.84%. The company had revenue of $599.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $693.44 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Banco Santander-Chile will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Banco Santander-Chile by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,569 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Banco Santander-Chile by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 50,862 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,009,000 after purchasing an additional 1,182 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Banco Santander-Chile by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 328,744 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,190,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares in the last quarter. Privium Fund Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Banco Santander-Chile by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Privium Fund Management B.V. now owns 13,818 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 1,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Banco Santander-Chile by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 65,669 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. 6.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Santander-Chile Company Profile

Banco Santander-Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides commercial and retail banking services in Chile. It operates through Retail Banking, Middle-Market, Corporate Investment Banking, and Corporate Activities segments. The company offers debit and credit cards, checking accounts, and savings products; consumer, automobile, commercial, mortgage, and government-guaranteed loans; and Chilean peso and foreign currency-denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines, as well as mortgage financing services.