Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) Short Interest Update

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 35,979,370 shares, a decline of 26.0% from the December 31st total of 48,599,488 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 18,815,688 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 18,815,688 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Itau Unibanco

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its position in shares of Itau Unibanco by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 51,326 shares of the bank’s stock worth $367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,521 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in Itau Unibanco by 17.5% during the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 12,022 shares of the bank’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 1,790 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Itau Unibanco by 40.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,642 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Itau Unibanco by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 65,655 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 1,911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Itau Unibanco by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 67,901 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 2,080 shares in the last quarter.

Itau Unibanco Price Performance

ITUB stock traded up $0.09 on Tuesday, hitting $8.79. 30,775,749 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,819,697. The stock has a market cap of $97.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.62. Itau Unibanco has a 1-year low of $4.73 and a 1-year high of $9.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $7.50 and a 200-day moving average of $7.06.

Itau Unibanco Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 2nd will be given a $0.0032 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 2nd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Itau Unibanco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Itau Unibanco from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Itau Unibanco from $6.80 to $7.77 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Itau Unibanco in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Itau Unibanco has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $7.77.

About Itau Unibanco

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.