Topic: How To Invest

Q: Please, may I get your thoughts on Banco Santander? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Banco Santander SA plc (ADR), $2.24, symbol SAN on New York (ADRs outstanding: 16.6 billion; Market cap: $37.3 billion; www.santander.com), is a leading retail and commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain. It is Europe’s second-largest bank. It operates in 10 main markets where it has high market shares: Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, the U.K., Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and the U.S. It also has consumer-financing businesses in other European countries and a presence in China through wholesale banking and consumer finance operations. The coronavirus outbreak continues to make operating conditions difficult for Santander—along with the rest of the global financial industry. In the three months ended June 30, 2020, the Spanish bank, Santander reported a record loss of 11.1 billion euros ($13.1 billion U.S.). That included one-time charges of 12.6 billion euros to write down its European acquisitions due to the pandemic lockdowns. The bank said the writedowns would have no impact on its capital levels, which rose to 11.46%…