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

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) saw a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 17,170,000 shares, an increase of 47.5% from the November 30th total of 11,640,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 25,650,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Itaú Unibanco Trading Up 0.2 %

Itaú Unibanco stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $4.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,088,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,513,336. Itaú Unibanco has a one year low of $4.90 and a one year high of $7.27. The stock has a market cap of $48.91 billion, a PE ratio of 6.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50 day moving average of $5.71 and a 200-day moving average of $6.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75.

Itaú Unibanco Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.0031 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Itaú Unibanco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Itaú Unibanco from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Itaú Unibanco

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,215,000. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,522,486 shares of the bank’s stock worth $83,899,000 after buying an additional 861,500 shares in the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 77.5% during the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 7,114,571 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $41,549,000 after buying an additional 3,106,130 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 23.2% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 25,586 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 4,823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perpetual Ltd lifted its stake in Itaú Unibanco by 9.0% in the third quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 13,629,806 shares of the bank’s stock worth $90,638,000 after acquiring an additional 1,126,695 shares during the period.

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.