Itaú Unibanco Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:ITUB)

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUBGet Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 13,135 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 706% compared to the average daily volume of 1,629 call options.

Itaú Unibanco Trading Up 4.6 %

NYSE ITUB opened at $6.27 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. Itaú Unibanco has a 1-year low of $4.86 and a 1-year high of $7.03. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.86. The company has a market capitalization of $61.40 billion, a PE ratio of 8.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.97.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUBGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The bank reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Itaú Unibanco will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.058 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. This is a boost from Itaú Unibanco’s previous dividend of $0.00. Itaú Unibanco’s payout ratio is currently 2.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ITUB. UBS Group raised shares of Itaú Unibanco from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Hsbc Global Res raised Itaú Unibanco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Itaú Unibanco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.80 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $6.90.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on ITUB

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Itaú Unibanco in the 3rd quarter worth $373,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 65.0% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 44,150 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 17,400 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Itaú Unibanco by 35.1% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 2,498,916 shares of the bank’s stock worth $16,618,000 after buying an additional 648,973 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Itaú Unibanco by 4.5% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 874,890 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,818,000 after acquiring an additional 37,954 shares during the period. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Itaú Unibanco in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,722,000.

Itaú Unibanco Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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