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

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders bought 13,135 call options on the company. This is an increase of 706% compared to the average volume of 1,629 call options.

Itaú Unibanco Stock Up 4.1 %

Shares of NYSE ITUB traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $6.24. 18,251,520 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,317,006. The company has a market cap of $61.11 billion, a PE ratio of 7.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.97. Itaú Unibanco has a one year low of $4.86 and a one year high of $7.03. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $5.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.86. 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 (NYSE:ITUB) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 12.25% and a return on equity of 19.46%. On average, equities analysts predict that Itaú Unibanco will post 0.8 EPS for the current year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.058 per share. This is a boost from Itaú Unibanco’s previous dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. Itaú Unibanco’s payout ratio is presently 2.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Itaú Unibanco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group upgraded Itaú Unibanco from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Itaú Unibanco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.80 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Itaú Unibanco has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $6.90.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new position in Itaú Unibanco in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Itaú Unibanco in the fourth quarter worth $57,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Itaú Unibanco by 4,000.3% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 12,260 shares of the bank’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 11,961 shares during the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Itaú Unibanco in the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Itaú Unibanco in the fourth quarter worth $67,000.

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.