Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) Short Interest Up 9.3% in September

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 25,910,000 shares, an increase of 9.3% from the August 31st total of 23,710,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 17,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Itaú Unibanco Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:ITUB traded down $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $6.53. 29,103,989 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,809,258. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.91, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. Itaú Unibanco has a 12-month low of $5.12 and a 12-month high of $7.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $6.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.33.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The bank reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.01. Itaú Unibanco had a net margin of 11.39% and a return on equity of 19.14%. The company had revenue of $16.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.18 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Itaú Unibanco will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Itaú Unibanco Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.0031 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 2nd. Itaú Unibanco’s payout ratio is currently 4.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on ITUB shares. UBS Group lowered shares of Itaú Unibanco from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Itaú Unibanco from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $7.05.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the second quarter worth approximately $785,000. Driehaus Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 77.5% during the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 7,114,571 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $41,549,000 after buying an additional 3,106,130 shares during the last quarter. Scientech Research LLC acquired a new position in Itaú Unibanco during the 2nd quarter worth $551,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Itaú Unibanco by 74.5% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,753,825 shares of the bank’s stock worth $27,762,000 after acquiring an additional 2,029,103 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its position in Itaú Unibanco by 426.2% during the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 1,985,215 shares of the bank’s stock worth $11,594,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607,969 shares during the period.

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.