Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 31,770,000 shares, an increase of 15.2% from the January 15th total of 27,580,000 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 27,140,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days.

Itaú Unibanco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ITUB traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $5.73. 24,814,767 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,994,027. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $5.41 and a 200 day moving average of $5.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.34. Itaú Unibanco has a 1 year low of $4.86 and a 1 year high of $7.07.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The bank reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.01). Itaú Unibanco had a return on equity of 19.46% and a net margin of 12.25%. On average, analysts forecast that Itaú Unibanco will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 an increase from Itaú Unibanco's previous dividend of $0.00. Itaú Unibanco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ITUB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Itaú Unibanco from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. HSBC upgraded 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. UBS Group upgraded shares of Itaú Unibanco from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Itaú Unibanco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Itaú Unibanco currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $6.90.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ITUB. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 68.5% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,071 shares of the bank's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 2,469 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Itaú Unibanco during the 3rd quarter worth about $68,000. MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in Itaú Unibanco during the third quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Finally, Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Itaú Unibanco in the fourth quarter valued at $57,000.

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.