Short Interest in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Declines By 51.3%

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 52,415,840 shares, a drop of 51.3% from the August 15th total of 107,668,073 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 24,793,327 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on SAN shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Banco Santander from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Santander restated a “buy” rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Banco Santander from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Banco Santander Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE SAN traded down $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $14.62. 6,849,676 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,344,069. The company has a market capitalization of $214.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $14.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.93. Banco Santander has a twelve month low of $9.62 and a twelve month high of $15.05.

Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.02). Banco Santander had a net margin of 26.94% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The firm had revenue of $17.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.90 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Banco Santander will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Banco Santander by 32.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,535,847 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $17,324,000 after purchasing an additional 373,646 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Banco Santander by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 956,275 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,787,000 after purchasing an additional 147,776 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 37.9% in the first 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 period. Barometer Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Banco Santander by 203.3% during the first quarter. Barometer Capital Management Inc. now owns 216,600 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,414,000 after buying an additional 145,191 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Banco Santander by 257.4% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 399,352 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,505,000 after buying an additional 287,621 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Banco Santander

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

• Positive Sentiment: Significant risk-transfer activity could improve capital efficiency. Banco Santander, BBVA and Deutsche Bank are reportedly working on several significant risk-transfer (SRT) transactions. These deals can allow banks to reduce credit exposure and optimize regulatory capital, potentially supporting Santander’s returns and lending capacity. Banco Santander, BBVA, Deutsche Bank Working on Several Significant Risk Transfer Deals
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains bullish on the long-term thesis. Coverage highlights Santander’s record profits, rising net interest income, expanding customer base, technology integration and efficiency initiatives. The bank’s ONE transformation and potential operational improvements are cited as possible drivers toward a 20% return on tangible equity by 2028. Banco Santander: A High-ROTE Behemoth Hidden In Plain Sight
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest has declined sharply. Reported short interest in Banco Santander fell by 51.3%, reducing evidence of bearish positioning and potentially limiting short-selling pressure on SAN. Short Interest in Banco Santander, S.A. Drops By 51.3%
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles discussing Santander’s dividend yield and daily trading provide context for income-focused investors but do not announce a new dividend change or policy decision. Banco Santander Dividend Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Santander’s art collection and the opening of Faro Santander highlight the bank’s cultural initiatives but have limited near-term earnings relevance. Banco Santander opens its vaults
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group’s FY2026 earnings forecast indicates continued analyst monitoring, but the available report does not provide enough detail to assess whether the estimate is above or below consensus. Erste Group Bank Forecasts Banco Santander FY2026 Earnings

Banco Santander Company Profile

Banco Santander, SA is a global banking group headquartered in Santander, Spain. Founded in 1857, the company provides financial products and services to individuals, businesses, institutions and governments through its banking operations in Europe, North America and South America.

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

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