Itaú Unibanco Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:ITUB)

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors acquired 10,030 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 633% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,368 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Itaú Unibanco from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Itaú Unibanco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Itaú Unibanco from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, HSBC raised Itaú Unibanco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.80 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Itaú Unibanco presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $6.90.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Itaú Unibanco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Itaú Unibanco by 68.5% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,071 shares of the bank’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 2,469 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco in the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Itaú Unibanco by 4,000.3% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 12,260 shares of the bank’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 11,961 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco in the third quarter valued at approximately $68,000. Finally, MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $70,000.

Itaú Unibanco Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of ITUB opened at $5.94 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The business has a fifty day moving average of $5.32 and a 200 day moving average of $5.96. The company has a market cap of $58.17 billion, a PE ratio of 7.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.95. Itaú Unibanco has a 52-week low of $4.86 and a 52-week high of $7.27.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The bank reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.01). Itaú Unibanco had a return on equity of 19.76% and a net margin of 12.25%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Itaú Unibanco will post 0.82 EPS for the current year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.058 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This is an increase from Itaú Unibanco’s previous dividend of $0.00. Itaú Unibanco’s payout ratio is presently 3.85%.

About Itaú Unibanco

Itaú Unibanco Holding SA offers a range of financial products and services to individuals and corporate customers in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, and Activities with the Market + Corporation. It offers current account; loans; credit and debit cards; investment and commercial banking services; real estate lending services; financing and investment services; economic, financial and brokerage advisory; and leasing and foreign exchange services.