89,744 Shares in Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) Bought by Natural Investments LLC

Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 89,744 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $445,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ITUB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Itaú Unibanco by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 50,829,515 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $338,016,000 after buying an additional 2,604,304 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Itaú Unibanco by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 50,587,633 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $336,408,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886,508 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 39,658,215 shares of the bank’s stock worth $196,705,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286,014 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,899,587 shares of the bank’s stock worth $174,930,000 after purchasing an additional 346,390 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in Itaú Unibanco by 12,592.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,484,343 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $156,171,000 after buying an additional 23,299,313 shares during the period.

Itaú Unibanco Price Performance

ITUB stock opened at $5.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $5.56 and a 200-day moving average of $5.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.97. Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. has a 12 month low of $4.86 and a 12 month high of $7.04.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) last issued 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 return on equity of 19.46% and a net margin of 12.25%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.058 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.