Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 112,096 Shares of Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) by 145.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 189,329 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 112,096 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Itaú Unibanco were worth $939,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ITUB. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the third quarter valued at about $68,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. bought a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the third quarter valued at about $81,000. Fielder Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 13.2% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Freedom Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the third quarter valued at about $90,000.

Itaú Unibanco Price Performance

ITUB opened at $5.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.28, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $5.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.85. Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. has a twelve month low of $4.42 and a twelve month high of $6.35.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The bank reported $0.19 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts expect that Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. will post 0.8 EPS for the current year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a $0.058 dividend. This is an increase from Itaú Unibanco’s previous dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Itaú Unibanco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ITUB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Itaú Unibanco from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Itaú Unibanco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average 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.