Short Interest in Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) Rises By 21.0%

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 539,088 shares, an increase of 21.0% from the January 15th total of 445,472 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 465,653 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 465,653 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BSAC has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Banco Santander Chile from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Banco Santander Chile in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Banco Santander Chile from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Banco Santander Chile from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Banco Santander Chile from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Banco Santander Chile currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $27.67.

Banco Santander Chile Stock Up 0.2%

BSAC stock traded up $0.08 on Wednesday, hitting $35.48. 134,783 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 343,110. Banco Santander Chile has a 12-month low of $20.77 and a 12-month high of $37.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $33.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market cap of $16.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.58.

Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The bank reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter. Banco Santander Chile had a return on equity of 23.25% and a net margin of 24.57%.The company had revenue of $740.07 million during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Banco Santander Chile will post 2.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander Chile

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Simplex Trading LLC purchased a new position in shares of Banco Santander Chile in the second quarter worth $25,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Santander Chile during the second quarter valued at $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Banco Santander Chile by 577.8% in 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. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Banco Santander Chile by 199.8% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,511 shares of the bank’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,007 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Banco Santander Chile by 739.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,486 shares of the bank’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,309 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 6.42% of the company’s stock.

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.