Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) Stock Bumped Down to “Hold” by Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank cut shares of Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Friday, MarketBeat reports. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Banco Santander’s FY2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.43 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on SAN. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Mediobanca reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Banco Santander from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Banco Santander from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Banco Santander from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.10.

Banco Santander Stock Performance

SAN opened at $11.20 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $13.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.95. Banco Santander has a 1 year low of $9.96 and a 1 year high of $15.05. The company has a market capitalization of $164.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.00, a current ratio of 0.24 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Banco Santander Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.1439 per share. This represents a yield of 257.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Banco Santander’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Santander

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAN. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 118.9% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,413,194 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $128,741,000 after buying an additional 6,198,828 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 37.9% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 2,566,939 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $28,955,000 after purchasing an additional 705,034 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Banco Santander by 32.1% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,535,847 shares of the bank’s stock worth $17,324,000 after buying an additional 373,646 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,473,746 shares of the bank’s stock worth $16,624,000 after acquiring an additional 138,582 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 18.3% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 956,275 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,787,000 after acquiring an additional 147,776 shares during the period. 9.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Banco Santander News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Banco Santander reported a record €12.405 billion profit for the first nine months of 2026, providing evidence of resilient earnings and supporting the bank’s investment case. Banco Santander SA reports record profit of EUR 12,405 million for 9M 2026
• Positive Sentiment: The bank completed a €1.825 billion share-buyback program, which can support earnings per share and return capital to shareholders. Banco Santander completes share buyback programme
• Neutral Sentiment: Expansion in the United States is producing growth but also raising questions about execution, competitive pressure and the returns generated by the investment. Santander, BBVA US Push Is Producing Results, And Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank downgraded Banco Santander from “buy” to “hold,” reducing near-term analyst support for the shares. Erste Group Bank recommendations
• Negative Sentiment: Weakness at Santander UK, including a profit decline and a new cost-cutting drive, signals pressure on revenue and operating efficiency. Santander UK turns to more cost-cutting after profit slip
• Negative Sentiment: Uncertainty surrounding Santander Brasil’s outlook and a surprise Brazilian election result have increased perceived political, credit and earnings risks. Banco Santander Brasil Q3: Uninspiring Past, Uncertain Future
• Negative Sentiment: A reported investor investigation adds legal and reputational uncertainty, potentially contributing to selling pressure. Banco Santander investigation notice

Banco Santander Company Profile

Banco Santander, SA is a Spain-based global banking group founded in 1857 and headquartered in Santander, Spain. The company provides financial services to individuals, businesses, institutions and governments through a network spanning Europe, North America and South America.

Its principal activities include retail and commercial banking, consumer finance, corporate and investment banking, payments, asset management and private banking. Santander offers products and services such as current and savings accounts, mortgages, personal and business loans, credit cards, insurance, investment products, cash-management services and financing for corporate clients.

The group operates through established banking businesses in markets including Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Poland, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and the United States.