Why These 15 Financial Services Stocks Are Surging In 2025

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8. Banco Santander SA (NYSE:SAN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 17

Banco Santander SA (NYSE:SAN) is a global retail and commercial bank headquartered in Spain, serving 175 million customers across Europe and the Americas.

The stock’s strong performance in 2025 is primarily due to record first-quarter results, with attributable profit rising 19% to €3.4 billion and earnings per share up 26%. This surge was driven by record net fee income, lower costs, and continued growth in customer numbers, as well as a favorable comparison to the previous year’s temporary Spanish banking levy, which was much lower in 2025.

The bank reaffirmed its 2025 targets. This included a return on tangible equity above 15.8% and robust shareholder returns, which have included substantial share buybacks and cash dividends.

A major catalyst was the February 2025 announcement of a €10 billion share buyback plan, which, together with record fourth-quarter 2024 profits, caused the stock to jump over 7% in a single session. The bank’s guidance for 2025 targets €62 billion in revenue and mid-to-high single-digit net income growth

SAN stock is up 55.94% year-to-date.

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