Itaú Unibanco Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:ITUB)

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock investors bought 13,135 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 706% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,629 call options.

Itaú Unibanco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ITUB traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $6.24. 18,251,520 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,317,006. 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 has a 12 month low of $4.86 and a 12 month high of $7.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $5.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.86.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) last released 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 net margin of 12.25% and a return on equity of 19.46%. On average, equities analysts expect that Itaú Unibanco will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a $0.058 dividend. This is a positive change from Itaú Unibanco’s previous dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Itaú Unibanco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Itaú Unibanco

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ITUB. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 27,876 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 1,925 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 16,935 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 17,106 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 2,001 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,556 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 2,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 19,819 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 3,089 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ITUB shares. UBS Group raised Itaú Unibanco from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Hsbc Global Res raised Itaú Unibanco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, HSBC raised Itaú Unibanco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.80 price target on the stock in a research report 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Itaú Unibanco currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.