Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) Shares Bought by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 48,018,726 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,151,459 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Itaú Unibanco were worth $238,173,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,282,897 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,363,000 after purchasing an additional 15,955 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 45,818 shares of the bank’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 10,741 shares during the period. Sava Infond d.o.o. purchased a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $625,000. Anthracite Investment Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. Anthracite Investment Company Inc. now owns 627,739 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,114,000 after acquiring an additional 130,000 shares during the period. Finally, GQG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 33.0% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 9,269,375 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $45,976,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302,211 shares in the last quarter.

Itaú Unibanco Stock Down 1.5 %

ITUB stock opened at $5.52 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $5.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.31. The company has a market cap of $59.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.07, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.97. Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. has a 12-month low of $4.42 and a 12-month high of $6.30. 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 $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.01). Itaú Unibanco had a net margin of 12.25% and a return on equity of 19.46%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were issued a $0.0527 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. This is an increase from Itaú Unibanco’s previous dividend of $0.00. Itaú Unibanco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ITUB has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of 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, HSBC raised Itaú Unibanco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.18 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Itaú Unibanco currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $6.27.

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.