Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) Short Interest Up 17.0% in April

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) saw a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 19,581,294 shares, a growth of 17.0% from the March 31st total of 16,732,904 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 20,331,249 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Itau Unibanco Stock Performance

NYSE:ITUB traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $8.64. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,242,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,068,156. The business’s fifty day moving average is $8.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.95. The stock has a market cap of $95.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.27, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.63. Itau Unibanco has a 1 year low of $5.87 and a 1 year high of $9.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.61, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.58.

Itau Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The bank reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $8.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.98 billion. Itau Unibanco had a net margin of 20.64% and a return on equity of 20.83%. Analysts anticipate that Itau Unibanco will post 0.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Itau Unibanco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.068 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 23rd. Itau Unibanco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on ITUB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Itau Unibanco from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research lowered Itau Unibanco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $9.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Fajerman Sergio Guillinet sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.38, for a total transaction of $469,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,265,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,866,816.22. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rodrigues Andre Luis Teixeira sold 182,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.82, for a total transaction of $1,612,296.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,637,511 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,442,847.02. This trade represents a 10.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 292,277 shares of company stock worth $2,646,512 over the last ninety days. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Itau Unibanco during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Itau Unibanco by 332.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,966 shares of the bank’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 5,355 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Itau Unibanco by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,642 shares of the bank’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A. purchased a new position in Itau Unibanco during the third quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Itau Unibanco during the first quarter worth approximately $59,000.

Itau Unibanco Company Profile

Itaú Unibanco SA (NYSE: ITUB) is a Brazilian banking and financial services conglomerate headquartered in São Paulo. The company was formed by the merger of Banco Itaú and Unibanco in 2008 and is one of the largest private-sector banks in Brazil and among the leading banks in Latin America. Itaú Unibanco is publicly listed in Brazil and maintains an international listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

The bank offers a full range of financial products and services across retail, commercial and wholesale banking.