NU vs. SAN: Nu Holdings vs. Banco Santander Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Nu Holdings (NU) and Banco Santander (SAN) are both classified in the Diversified Banks sub-industry within the broader Banks industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Banco Santander (SAN) has more than two decades of public-market history since July 30, 1987, whereas Nu Holdings (NU) listed on December 9, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Nu Holdings (NU) trades as ordinary local shares, while Banco Santander (SAN) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Nu Holdings (NU) at 31.63% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Banco Santander (SAN) at 13.06%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Nu Holdings (NU) at 42.73% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Banco Santander (SAN) at 32.58%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Nu Holdings (NU) in Banks and Banco Santander (SAN) in Banks, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Nu Holdings (NU) at 28.51% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Banco Santander (SAN) at -0.47% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Nu Holdings (NU) at 44.92% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Banco Santander (SAN) at 17.19% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for NU.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Nu Holdings (NU) in Banks and Banco Santander (SAN) in Banks both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Nu Holdings (NU) in Banks and Banco Santander (SAN) in Banks run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Nu Holdings (NU) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Banco Santander (SAN) reports a yield of 2.10%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Nu Holdings (NU) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Banco Santander (SAN) reports a payout of 25.91%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Banco Santander (SAN) at 11.08 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Nu Holdings (NU) at 16.48 sits in the richer quartile — NU needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

P/S ratio is set aside for both Nu Holdings (NU) in Banks and Banco Santander (SAN) in Banks: without a conventional revenue line, pricing per dollar of sales isn’t meaningful, and book- or earnings-based multiples make the better comparison.

Banco Santander (SAN) at 1.33 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Nu Holdings (NU) at 4.39 prices above its benchmark range — NU looks rich relative to book.

Valuation Metrics