Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) have received an average rating of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $26.00.

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Banco Santander Chile in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut Banco Santander Chile from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Banco Santander Chile from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Banco Santander Chile in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Banco Santander Chile Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of Banco Santander Chile stock traded up $0.45 during trading on Friday, hitting $29.63. 528,248 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 343,909. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $26.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.11. Banco Santander Chile has a 1-year low of $18.19 and a 1-year high of $30.18.

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.06). Banco Santander Chile had a return on equity of 22.18% and a net margin of 24.74%.The firm had revenue of $581.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $732.50 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Banco Santander Chile will post 2.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BSAC. Candriam S.C.A. acquired a new stake in Banco Santander Chile in the 1st quarter valued at $25,116,000. TT International Asset Management LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Santander Chile in the third quarter valued at about $24,685,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Banco Santander Chile by 200.9% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 832,647 shares of the bank’s stock worth $22,065,000 after acquiring an additional 555,919 shares in the last quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP boosted its position in Banco Santander Chile by 45.3% during the first quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 826,754 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $18,850,000 after purchasing an additional 257,895 shares during the last quarter. Finally, INCA Investments LLC boosted its position in Banco Santander Chile by 36.4% during the third quarter. INCA Investments LLC now owns 715,192 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $18,953,000 after purchasing an additional 191,014 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.42% of the company’s stock.

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.