Fielder Capital Group LLC Increases Stock Position in Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB)

Fielder Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,106 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,001 shares during the period. Fielder Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Itaú Unibanco were worth $85,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 68.5% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,071 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 2,469 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Itaú Unibanco in the third quarter valued at $68,000. MQS Management LLC bought a new position in Itaú Unibanco during the 3rd quarter valued at $70,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Itaú Unibanco during the 4th quarter worth $57,000. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. bought a new stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco in the 3rd quarter worth about $81,000.

Itaú Unibanco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ITUB opened at $5.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $5.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.95. Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. has a 52-week low of $4.86 and a 52-week high of $7.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The bank reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.01). Itaú Unibanco had a net margin of 12.25% and a return on equity of 19.46%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.058 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This is a positive change from Itaú Unibanco’s previous dividend of $0.00. Itaú Unibanco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Itaú Unibanco Profile

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.