Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Hits New 1-Year High Following Strong Earnings

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $13.07 and last traded at $13.0450, with a volume of 3061082 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.75.

The bank reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.03. Banco Santander had a net margin of 17.90% and a return on equity of 11.68%. The business had revenue of $18.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.89 billion.

Key Headlines Impacting Banco Santander

Here are the key news stories impacting Banco Santander this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and shareholder return program — Santander posted better?than?expected Q4 results (EPS and revenue above consensus) and approved a €5bn buyback, both supportive for near?term shareholder value. WSJ: Buyback and earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic rationale for Webster acquisition — Management frames the $12.2–$12.3bn Webster deal as a step to build a top?10 U.S. retail/commercial bank and improve profitability in the U.S., which could lift long?term growth and ROE. Reuters: Deal announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal structure and timing — The Webster transaction is cash?and?stock with closing expected in H2 2026; integration will take time and the immediate earnings impact depends on Santander ADS price at closing. BusinessWire: Merger agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Brazil tax settlement — Santander Brasil was part of recent settlements that cleared tax disputes (R$2.4bn across banks), reducing regulatory overhang but implying cash payments. Reuters: Brazil tax deals
• Negative Sentiment: Market skepticism on deal valuation and short?term execution risk — Analysts flagged integration and financing/earnings dilution risks; some investors viewed the price multiple skeptically, causing an earlier stock selloff. MarketWatch: Valuation skepticism
• Negative Sentiment: Legal / shareholder scrutiny over Webster terms — A law firm has opened an investigation into the adequacy of price/process for Webster shareholders, which could lead to litigation or delay/complicate closing. BusinessWire: Investor alert

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SAN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. DZ Bank downgraded Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays downgraded shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group cut shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Banco Santander from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Banco Santander in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Banco Santander by 77.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 419,635 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,812,000 after acquiring an additional 183,051 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 71,990 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,566 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Banco Santander by 271.2% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 10,276 shares of the bank’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 7,508 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in Banco Santander by 65.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 71,169 shares of the bank’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 28,107 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Banco Santander during the 1st quarter valued at about $601,000. 9.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Banco Santander Stock Up 1.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $185.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.23, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $11.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.52.

About Banco Santander

Banco Santander, SA (NYSE: SAN) is a Spanish multinational banking group headquartered in Santander, Spain. Founded in 1857, the bank has grown from a regional institution into one of Europe’s largest banking groups, operating a diversified financial services platform that serves retail, small and medium-sized enterprises, and large corporate clients. Santander is publicly listed in Spain and maintains American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SAN.

The group’s core activities include retail and commercial banking—offering deposit accounts, payment services, mortgages, personal and auto loans, and small business financing—alongside corporate and investment banking services for larger institutional clients.