Sifting through countless of stocks in the Banks industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander or S.A. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A.

Truist Financial Corporation, a financial services company, provides banking and trust services in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. The company operates through two segments, Consumer and Small Business Banking; and Wholesale Banking. Its deposit products include noninterest-bearing checking, interest-bearing checking, savings, and money market deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit and individual retirement accounts. The company also provides funding; asset management; credit card lending; home equity and mortgage lending; other direct retail lending; home mortgage lending; Investment brokerage services; mobile/online banking; payment solutions; point-of-sale lending; retail and small business deposit products; and small business lending. In addition, it offers asset-based lending, commercial deposit and treasury services; commercial lending; floor plan lending; derivatives; institutional trust services; insurance premium finance; international banking; investment banking and capital markets services; leasing; merchant services; mortgage warehouse lending; real estate lending; supply chain financing; and wealth management/private banking. The company was formerly known as BB&T Corporation and changed its name to Truist Financial Corporation in December 2019. Truist Financial Corporation was founded in 1872 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Banco Santander, S.A. provides various financial products and services to individuals, small and medium-sized enterprises, large corporations, and public entities worldwide. The company operates through five segments: Retail & Commercial Banking, Digital Consumer Bank, Corporate & Investment Banking, Wealth Management & Insurance, and Payments. It offers demand and time deposits, mutual funds, and current and savings accounts; mortgages, consumer finance, loans, and various financing solutions; and project finance, debt capital markets, global transaction banking, and corporate finance services. The company also provides credit and debit cards, real estate loans, microfinance, and auto loans; corporate and investment banking services; advice on mergers and acquisitions; wealth, asset, and risk management services; and digital payments and technology solutions. In addition, it is involved in the securitization, leasing, management of portfolios, e-commerce, air transport, aircraft rental, software, consulting, fund and investment management, renewable energy, vehicle rental, insurance, advertising, marketing, telemarketing, automotive, agricultural, factoring, securities brokerage and investment, pension fund management, trade intermediary, venture capital fund, renting, restaurant, electricity production, IT, internet, and financial advisory and other activities; management, and other real estate activities; and purchase and sale of vehicles. Further, the company offers mobile and online banking services. Banco Santander, S.A. was formerly known as Banco Santander Central Hispano SA and changed its name to Banco Santander, S.A. in February 2007. The company was incorporated in 1856 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

Latest Banks and Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander, S.A. Stock News

As of September 1, 2026, Truist Financial Corporation had a $60.4 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $730.8 million. Truist Financial Corporation’s stock is NA in 2026, NA in the previous five trading days and up 5.6% in the past year.

Currently, Truist Financial Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 11.4. Truist Financial Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $19.0 billion with a 30.7% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 8.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.614 per share for the current fiscal year. Truist Financial Corporation currently has a 4.2% dividend yield.

Currently, Banco Santander, S.A.’s price-earnings ratio is 14.3. Banco Santander, S.A.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $55.4 billion with a 33.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 7.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.280 per share for the current fiscal year. Banco Santander, S.A. currently has a 2.0% dividend yield.

How We Compare Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Truist Financial Corporation	TFC	D
Banco Santander, S.A.	SAN	B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Truist Financial Corporation has a Growth Score of 25, which is Weak. Banco Santander, S.A. has a Growth Score of 64, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Banco Santander, S.A.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Banco Santander, S.A. has a more attractive growth grade than Truist Financial Corporation. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Banco Santander, S.A. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Truist Financial Corporation	TFC	D
Banco Santander, S.A.	SAN	F

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Truist Financial Corporation has a Quality Score of 28, which is Weak. Banco Santander, S.A. has a Quality Score of 19, which is Very Weak.

The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander or S.A. has a high enough Quality Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander or S.A. is the better investment when it comes to quality.

Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Truist Financial Corporation	TFC	B
Banco Santander, S.A.	SAN	C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Truist Financial Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 64, which is Positive. Banco Santander, S.A. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 50, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Truist Financial Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Truist Financial Corporation has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Banco Santander, S.A.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Truist Financial Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A. Grades

In addition to Growth, Estimate Revisions and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander or S.A. Stock?

Overall, Truist Financial Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 25, Estimate Revisions Score of 64 and Quality Score of 28.

Banco Santander, S.A. stock has a Growth Score of 64, Estimate Revisions Score of 50 and Quality Score of 19.

Comparing Truist Financial Corporation, Banco Santander and S.A.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.