SANTANDER : Upgraded to Buy by Barclays

Banco Santander, S.A. is Spain's largest banking group. The activity is organized into three sectors: - commercial banking: retail banking activities and specialized financial services (consumer loans, mortgages, etc.); - investment, financial and market banking: classic and specialized financing (financing acquisitions, projects, etc.), financial engineering (consulting on mergers and acquisitions, stock transactions, etc.), intervention in the stock, rate and exchange markets, etc.; - asset management and private banking. The group also develops bank insurance activities through Santander Seguros and Banesto Seguros. At the end of 2023, the group managed EUR 1,047.2 billion in current deposits and EUR 1,036.3 billion in current credits. The products and services are marketed via a network of 8,518 branches worldwide.