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

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) 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:ITUB) 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.

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

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.