Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $1.14 Million Holdings in Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. cut its position in Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) by 45.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 229,584 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 189,763 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Itaú Unibanco were worth $1,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 145.1% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 189,329 shares of the bank’s stock worth $939,000 after purchasing an additional 112,096 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,469,409 shares of the bank’s stock worth $7,494,000 after purchasing an additional 73,922 shares in the last quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. acquired a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,208,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $94,000. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $128,000.

Itaú Unibanco Stock Up 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ITUB opened at $6.00 on Friday. Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. has a 52 week low of $4.86 and a 52 week high of $7.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.34. The company has a market capitalization of $58.76 billion, a PE ratio of 7.69, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $5.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.86.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The bank reported $0.19 earnings per share (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%. Analysts forecast that Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.058 per share. This is an increase 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ITUB has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Itaú Unibanco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. HSBC raised shares of Itaú Unibanco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.80 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Itaú Unibanco from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Itaú Unibanco currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $6.90.

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.