SAN vs HSBC vs RY Stock Comparison

Banco Santander, Hsbc Holdings and Royal Bank Of Canada Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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SAN Banco Santander, S.A.
$12.07 -13.2% 1M +20.6% 1Y
Market cap
$179.20B
P/E
9.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$71.89B
Div. yield
–
Money Center Banks Financial Services
3 wins
HSBC Hsbc Holdings Plc
$89.44 -7.5% 1M +28.0% 1Y
Market cap
$307.13B
P/E
11.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$55.16B
Div. yield
–
Money Center Banks Financial Services
4 wins
RY Royal Bank Of Canada
$209.76 +7.7% 1M +43.9% 1Y
Market cap
$287.97B
P/E
17.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$51.37B
Div. yield
–
Money Center Banks Financial Services
3 wins

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Hsbc Holdings leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Hsbc Holdings 4, Banco Santander 3, Royal Bank Of Canada 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSANHSBCRYLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $179.20B $307.13B $287.97B HSBC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 9.5x 11.6x 17.6x SAN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.1x 9.9x 17.1x HSBC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.2% +1,900.0% +11.2% HSBC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 26.2% 47.9% 31.9% HSBC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — — 49.3% –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -37.5x — -3.0x SAN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +20.6% +28.0% +43.9% RY
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +26.2%/yr +25.0%/yr +14.6%/yr SAN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.7% 28.6% 16.7% RY
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 18/100 70/100 78/100 RY

Percentile Scorecard

SANHSBCRY

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisSANHSBCRY
Valuation 12 #318 of 360 15 #308 of 360 77 #85 of 360
Growth 40 #206 of 344 88 #44 of 344 64 #123 of 344
Profitability 6 #324 of 345 86 #51 of 345 94 #22 of 345
Financial Health 0 #339 of 339 – 62 #128 of 339
Shareholder Returns 31 #244 of 352 92 #29 of 352 93 #24 of 352
Overall 18 70 78
  • SAN ranked among 368 companies in Banking
  • HSBC ranked among 368 companies in Banking
  • RY ranked among 368 companies in Banking

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodSANHSBCRYSPY
1 month -13.2%-7.5%+7.7% -1.0%
3 months -17.5%-12.9%-0.7% -0.4%
6 months -2.7%-2.1%+15.5% +4.5%
Year to date +2.9%+13.7%+23.0% +12.4%
1 year +20.6%+28.0%+43.9% +13.6%
3 years +216.8%+138.9%+147.1% +76.4%
3 years, per year +46.9%+33.7%+35.2% +20.8%
5 years +219.3%+205.0%+97.7% +63.7%
5 years, per year +26.2%+25.0%+14.6% +10.4%
10 years +168.0%+141.5%+242.7% +267.7%
10 years, per year +10.4%+9.2%+13.1% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureSANHSBCRYSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.7%28.6%16.7% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 36.0%28.4%15.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.741.280.71 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.580.982.63 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.0%-34.6%-34.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -19.7%-17.1%-3.7% -1.6%
52-week high $15.03$107.85$217.87 $779.14
52-week low $10.01$67.56$145.41 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleSANHSBCRY
P/E now vs peer median 9.6xmedian 12.7x 11.8xmedian 12.7x 18.0xmedian 12.7x
P/S now vs peer median 2.5xmedian 3.5x 5.6xmedian 3.5x 5.7xmedian 3.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -41.2xmedian 4.9x —median 4.9x 1.1xmedian 4.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 28.1xmedian 11.0x —median 11.0x 5.1xmedian 11.0x
P/B now vs peer median 12.6xmedian 1.3x 1.6xmedian 1.3x 2.8xmedian 1.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.40median 1.33 3.15median 1.33 1.25median 1.33

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsSANHSBCRY
Revenue $71.89B $55.16B $51.37B
Gross profit -$3.71B – –
Operating income -$51.48B $33.06B –
Net income $20.00B $28.08B $16.43B
Free cash flow $6.31B – $57.35B
EPS (diluted) $1.26 $7.53 $11.62
Cash & equivalents – $222.46B $45.78B
Total debt $1.88T – $9.69B
Shares (diluted) 14.98B 3.51B 1.41B
Enterprise value -$506.19B -$1.80T -$542.07B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricSANHSBCRY
P/E 9.6x 11.8x 18.0x
P/FCF 28.1x – 5.1x
P/Operating cash flow 28.1x – 5.1x
P/S 2.5x 5.6x 5.7x
P/B 12.6x 1.6x 2.8x
P/Tangible book -11.4x 1.6x 3.0x
EV/EBITDA -41.2x – 1.1x
EV/EBIT -38.2x -16.0x 1.1x
EV/Revenue 27.4x -9.6x 1.5x
EV/FCF 311.5x – 1.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 311.5x – 1.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.40 3.15 1.25

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSANHSBCRY
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.2% 1,900% 11.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.1% 50.6% 10.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – –
Operating income growth (1Y) – 40.9% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -100.7% 1.6% –
Net income growth (1Y) 21.2% 51.5% 19.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 17.5% -1.1% 14.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -91.6% 68.0% 19.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 23.8% 3.7% 14.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -62.3% – -8.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 32.5% – 28.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -62.3% – -8.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 32.5% – 28.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSANHSBCRY
Gross margin -5.2% – –
EBITDA margin -66.4% – 140.4%
Operating margin -71.6% 59.9% –
Pretax margin 31.9% 65.2% 40.9%
Net margin 26.2% 47.9% 31.9%
FCF margin 8.8% – 111.6%
Operating cash flow margin 8.8% – 111.6%
Return on equity 117.4% 14.3% 15.9%
Return on assets 0.6% 0.8% 0.9%
Return on invested capital – – 49.3%
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.0x 0.0x 0.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.3x – 3.5x
Stock comp / revenue – – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSANHSBCRY
Debt / assets 78.8% – 0.5%
Debt / equity 133.6x – 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA -37.5x – -3.0x
Debt / FCF 297.7x – 0.2x
Liabilities / assets 99.4% 94.3% 94.2%
Equity / assets 0.6% 5.7% 5.8%
Interest coverage – – 1.4x
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSANHSBCRY
Dividend yield 2.4% 4.2% 3.2%
Net buyback yield – – 3.0%
Shareholder yield 2.4% 4.2% 6.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusSANHSBCRY
Forward P/E 11.1xFY2026 9.9xFY2026 17.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.09FY2026 $9.02FY2026 $12.27FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.8%FY2026 +19.5%FY2026 +19.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +23.9% +9.1% +6.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $76.20BFY2026 $70.05BFY2026 $53.04BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +3.5%FY2026 -1.3%FY2026 +11.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -2.8% +18.0% +0.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSANHSBCRY
Held by institutions 3.4% 2.5% 43.8%
Institutions holding 662 709 986
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.8% -0.3% +1.9%
Institutions buying 405 404 447
Institutions selling 149 180 326
Buyers to sellers 2.72 2.24 1.37

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

SANHSBCRY
SAN 1.00 0.73 0.57
HSBC 0.73 1.00 0.55
RY 0.57 0.55 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, SAN, HSBC and RY?

Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Banco Santander (SAN) $179.20B, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) $307.13B, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) $287.97B.

Which stock is cheaper, SAN, HSBC and RY?

Banco Santander (SAN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Banco Santander (SAN) 9.5x, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) 11.6x, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 17.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) is cheapest (Banco Santander (SAN) 11.1x, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) 9.9x, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 17.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Banco Santander (SAN) +11.2%, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) +1,900.0%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) +11.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) has the highest net margin (Banco Santander (SAN) 26.2%, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) 47.9%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 31.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) returned the most: Banco Santander (SAN) +20.6%, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) +28.0%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) +43.9%. Over five years, Banco Santander (SAN) compounded fastest (Banco Santander (SAN) +26.2%/yr, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) +25.0%/yr, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) +14.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) has been the steadiest (Banco Santander (SAN) 35.7%, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) 28.6%, Royal Bank Of Canada (RY) 16.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, SAN, HSBC and RY?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Hsbc Holdings (HSBC) leads on 4. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.