Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) continues to remain one of Jim Cramer’s top European stocks.
The CNBC TV host praised the firm several times in 2025
For instance, in February 2025, he remarked that Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) was “on track to become one of the most profitable banks in the world.” Cramer added that the bank was marching steadily “towards [its] goal of 20% return on tangible equity by 2028.” Back then, Cramer also praised the bank as investors were looking for markets outside the US. As oil prices surged once again amidst the conflict between the US and Iran, Cramer mentioned Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) in a brief tweet: “Hard to amount an advance with oil higher; meanwhile European banks remind us that this group is a winner right now. Deutsche Bank good, SAN best in show” Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)’s recent performance, which has seen the shares gain 67% over the past year and by 19.7% year-to-date, has also led investors to wonder whether it can post more growth in the future.
The bank’s recent earnings, which covered the first half. of 2026, also contributed to this debate. During H1 2026, Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) posted €8.97 billion in net income to post a 31% annual growth. This growth was spurred by the bank’s net interest margin (NIM) sitting at 2.71%, its success in managing loan yields to manage customer deposit costs, growing its customer base by 12 million to 181 million and cost discipline initiatives to cut down its product catalog to 4,000 from 10,000.