Core Viewpoint - Banco Santander reported record profits for the fourth quarter and announced a share buyback plan of 10 billion euros ($10.4 billion) for 2025 and 2026, reflecting strong financial performance and anticipated excess capital [1]. Financial Performance - The bank's net profit increased by 11% year-on-year to 3.265 billion euros in Q4 and by 14% annually to 12.574 billion euros for the full year, driven by increased customer activity and robust margin management [2]. - The return on tangible equity (RoTE) rose to 16.3% in 2024 from 15.1% the previous year, indicating improved profitability [3]. Customer Growth and Market Position - Santander added eight million new customers in 2024, bringing the total to 173 million, showcasing its growth in the core retail business [2]. - The bank has benefited from the high interest rate environment post-Covid-19, although it may face challenges as the European Central Bank eases monetary policy [4]. Future Guidance - For 2025, Santander targets approximately 62 billion euros in revenue, mid-high single-digit growth in net income, a RoTE above 17%, and a CET1 ratio of 13%, up from 12.8% in 2024 [4]. - The Executive Chair emphasized the bank's ability to grow revenue, profitability, and returns, highlighting its technological capabilities to reduce costs and improve operating leverage [5][6].

Core Insights - Santander's American digital banking platform, Openbank, has achieved over $2 billion in deposits just four months post-launch, marking a significant milestone in its U.S. business strategy [1] - The bank aims to evolve Openbank into a full-service digital bank by the end of the year, expanding its offerings to include certificates of deposit, payments, and checking accounts, alongside a growing branch network [2] - Santander's leadership emphasizes its unique position to combine the digital banking experience of a FinTech with the stability of a global bank, reflecting a commitment to customer-centric innovation [3] Industry Context - The digital banking landscape presents challenges for financial institutions, including regulatory hurdles and the need to attract new customers and deposits [3][4] - Despite 70% of consumer lending occurring digitally, only a third of this lending is directed towards small business customers through online channels, indicating a gap in service provision [5] - Smaller lenders face heightened challenges due to limited budgets, making the implementation of new digital platforms and processes both time-consuming and costly [5]

Core Viewpoint - Sanofi has announced the acquisition of 2.3% of its shares from L'Oréal as part of its share buyback program, emphasizing its commitment to sustainable value creation for shareholders [1][2]. Group 1: Transaction Details - The acquisition involves 29,556,650 shares at a price of €101.50 per share, totaling €3 billion, which reflects a 2.8% discount to the closing price on January 31, 2025 [2]. - The shares acquired from L'Oréal will be cancelled by April 29, 2025, and the transaction is expected to be accretive to Sanofi's earnings per share [2][3]. - After the cancellation, L'Oréal will own 7.2% of Sanofi, with 13.1% of voting rights [3]. Group 2: Governance and Compliance - The acquisition is structured as an off-market block trade and complies with French Commercial Code regulations, having been approved by Sanofi's Board of Directors [2][4]. - An independent expert, Finexsi, confirmed that the price of the repurchased shares is fair and that the transaction will not adversely affect Sanofi's financial balances [4]. Group 3: Strategic Importance - François Roger, CFO of Sanofi, highlighted the long-standing partnership with L'Oréal and the importance of this transaction in maintaining strategic priorities while enhancing shareholder value [2]. - The transaction underscores Sanofi's focus on sustainable value creation and the preservation of key partnerships [2].

Banking giant Santander has reportedly chosen a new U.S. CEO amid a larger reshuffle.Christiana Riley will succeed Tim Wennes as the bank’s lead in the U.S., Executive Chair Ana Botin announced Friday (Jan. 31), per a report by Reuters.Sources told the news outlet that — as part of the changes associated with this restructuring — Santander plans to eliminate the three regional divisions in Europe, North America and South America that it opened in 2019 while proceeding with the implementation of its five glo ...

Sarclisa is the first anti-CD38 treatment approved in China for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma ineligible for transplant Approval based on positive results from the IMROZ phase 3 study that demonstrated Sarclisa in combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) significantly improved progression-free survival, compared to VRd alone in transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma Second approval in China in three weeks following the R/R MM indication announced o ...

Financial Performance - Q4 2024 sales growth of 10.3% at CER, with business EPS of €1.31 [1] - FY 2024 sales growth of 11.3% at CER, totaling €41.1 billion, exceeding sales targets [4] - Business EPS for FY 2024 reached €7.12, a 4.1% increase at CER, surpassing guidance [4] - IFRS net income for FY 2024 was €41,081 million, an 8.6% increase [3] - Free cash flow for FY 2024 was €5,955 million, a 19.6% decrease [6] Pipeline and R&D - Increased R&D investment to €7.4 billion, up 14.6% in 2024 [4] - Significant pipeline progress, including positive phase 3 results for rilzabrutinib and tolebrutinib [3] - 14 regulatory approvals for medicines and vaccines in 2024, with 21 regulatory submission acceptances [4] - Dupixent expected to reach sales of around €22 billion by 2030 [3] Strategic Initiatives - Intention to sell a controlling stake in Opella consumer health, expected to close in Q2 2025 [2] - Plan to execute a €5 billion share buyback program in 2025 [5] - Focus on becoming a science-driven biopharma company, supported by ongoing launches and pipeline developments [3] Product Performance - Dupixent sales increased by 16.0% to €3.5 billion in 2024 [4] - Beyfortus achieved blockbuster status with €1.7 billion in sales in its first full year [4] - Pharma launches contributed 11% of total sales, with ALTUVIIIO leading the growth [4] - Vaccines sales grew by 10.8% to €2.2 billion, driven by Beyfortus in Europe [4] Future Outlook - Anticipated mid-to-high single-digit percentage sales growth at CER in 2025 [5] - Expected strong rebound in business EPS with low double-digit percentage growth at CER in 2025 [5] - Confidence in mid-to-long-term growth prospects, supported by ongoing launches and pipeline developments [3] Dividend and Shareholder Returns - Proposed dividend of €3.92 for 2024, marking the 30th consecutive year of dividend increases [4]

Information concerning the total number of voting rights and shares, provided pursuant to article L. 233-8 II of the Code de commerce (the French Commercial Code) and article 223-16 of the Règlement général de l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers (Regulation of the French stock market authority) Sanofia French société anonyme with a registered share capital of 2,526,245,442 €Registered office : 46, avenue de la Grande Armée - 75017 Paris - FranceRegistered at the Paris Commercial and Companies Registry under n ...

Banco Santander Brasil (NYSE: BSBR ) is the third-largest private bank in Brazil and has its operations focused mainly on wholesale and retail segments. The Brazil-based bank is part of Santander Group ( SAN ), whichI am a researcher and operations manager at DM Martins Research. Previously, I contributed to TheStreet and currently write for platforms such as TipRanks and GuruFocus. Here at Seeking Alpha, my goal is to provide insightful analysis primarily on foreign equities, with a focus on emerging marke ...

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of SAN either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. While this article may sound like financial advice, please observe that the author is not a CFA or in any way licensed to give financial advice ...

Sarclisa Approval and Market Impact - Sarclisa has been approved in the EU as the first anti-CD38 therapy in combination with VRd for treating transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) based on the IMROZ phase 3 study [1] - This approval marks the third indication for Sarclisa in the EU, including two for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM) and one for NDMM [6] - Sarclisa is currently approved in over 50 countries, including the US and EU, across three indications [4] Clinical Development and Mechanisms - Sarclisa (isatuximab) is a CD38 monoclonal antibody that induces antitumor activity through mechanisms such as apoptosis and immunomodulatory activity [3] - The drug is part of a patient-centric clinical development program, with several phase 2 and phase 3 studies across six potential indications [5] - Sanofi is evaluating a subcutaneous administration method for Sarclisa in clinical studies [5] Regulatory Milestones and Global Expansion - The US FDA approved Sarclisa in combination with VRd for NDMM in September 2024, granting orphan drug exclusivity for this indication [2] - Regulatory submissions for Sarclisa in NDMM are under review in Japan and China [2] - The approval in the EU and US represents a significant step forward in addressing unmet needs in multiple myeloma treatment [2][6] Sanofi's Strategic Focus - Sanofi is committed to advancing oncology innovation, focusing on difficult-to-treat cancers such as multiple myeloma, acute myeloid leukemia, and certain lymphomas [6][7] - The company aims to become the leading global immunoscience company by leveraging its expertise in this field [6] - Sanofi's pipeline prioritization includes hematologic malignancies and solid tumors with critical unmet needs [6]