11 Top Performing European Stocks So Far In 2025

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1. Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 17

YTD Share Price Performance as of April 11: 44.17%

Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) ranks first on our list of the best performing stocks from Europe so far this year. It is a global Spanish bank offering retail and commercial banking, investment banking, wealth management, and digital payments. On March 10, Citi analysts maintained a Buy rating on SAN and lifted the price target from €6.6 to €7.2. According to the analysts, the bank’s earnings got a boost from solid performance in Spain, the US, Poland, and its Consumer & Corporate division. This offsets the softer results in Brazil and the UK. Analysts also now raised their earnings forecasts by 6% for 2025-2027.

In 2024, Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) recorded a €12.6 billion profit, up 14% year-over-year, driven by underlying revenue growth and better risk management. Customer funds grew faster than lending, and both net interest and fee income were up 8%, strengthened by higher customer activity. The bank’s capital position also improved, with a CET1 ratio of 12.8%. Throughout the year, SAN returned over €3 billion to shareholders through dividends and a €1.5 billion share buyback, up 17% compared to 2023. Santander added 8 million customers in 2024, bringing the total to 173 million, with a 9% rise in transactions per user compared to 2023.

According to Insider Monkey’s fourth quarter database, 17 hedge funds were bullish on Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN), compared to 15 funds in the last quarter. Jim Simons’ Renaissance Technologies was the biggest stakeholder of the company, with 659,627 shares valued at $12.4 million.

Overall, SAN ranks first among the 11 Top Performing European Stocks So Far In 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of European stocks, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than SAN but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

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