Barclays PLC Reduces Holdings in Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB)

Barclays PLC trimmed its stake in Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB - Free Report) by 28.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 321,017 shares of the bank's stock after selling 125,423 shares during the period. Barclays PLC's holdings in Itaú Unibanco were worth $1,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ITUB. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 28,389,460 shares of the bank's stock valued at $140,812,000 after buying an additional 489,873 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Itaú Unibanco by 5.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 50,829,515 shares of the bank's stock worth $338,016,000 after purchasing an additional 2,604,304 shares during the last quarter. Haven Global Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco in the 4th quarter worth about $3,284,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 39,658,215 shares of the bank's stock valued at $196,705,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286,014 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 198.4% during the 4th quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 125,310 shares of the bank's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 83,320 shares during the last quarter.

Itaú Unibanco Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:ITUB traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $6.12. 10,273,725 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 24,143,362. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.82, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.76. Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. has a 12 month low of $4.42 and a 12 month high of $6.37. 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 fifty day moving average of $5.59 and a 200 day moving average of $5.28.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The bank reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.01). Itaú Unibanco had a return on equity of 19.46% and a net margin of 12.25%. On average, research analysts predict that Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. will post 0.8 EPS for the current year.

Itaú Unibanco Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be given a $0.0024 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 5th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.46%. Itaú Unibanco's dividend payout ratio is currently 2.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on ITUB. HSBC raised Itaú Unibanco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $6.18 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Itaú Unibanco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Itaú Unibanco from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Four investment 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $6.27.

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.