Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. Grows Stake in Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH)

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. raised its stake in shares of Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH - Free Report) by 105.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 213,773 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 109,700 shares during the quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.'s holdings in Banco de Chile were worth $4,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BCH. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Banco de Chile by 81.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,151 shares of the bank's stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 5,016 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans purchased a new position in Banco de Chile during the 4th quarter valued at about $836,000. Matthews International Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Banco de Chile during the fourth quarter worth about $400,000. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. grew its holdings in Banco de Chile by 49.6% in the fourth quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 17,190 shares of the bank's stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700 shares during the period. Finally, Truffle Hound Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco de Chile in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,536,000. 1.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Banco de Chile Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Banco de Chile stock traded up $0.11 on Monday, reaching $29.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 100,458 shares, compared to its average volume of 237,472. Banco de Chile has a 52 week low of $22.06 and a 52 week high of $30.83. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $27.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The company has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.31.

Banco de Chile Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were given a $2.1037 dividend. This represents a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. Banco de Chile's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Banco de Chile from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Banco de Chile from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

Banco de Chile Profile

Banco de Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking services to customers in Chile. The company offers checking and debit accounts, debit and credit cards, and lines of credit; mortgage, consume, commercial, general purpose mortgage loans, and finance leases; and factoring services, mutual fund management, stock brokerage, foreign trade, payments and collections, insurance brokerage, including life and general insurance, as well as time deposits, savings instruments, and foreign currency services through branches under the Banco de Chile and Banco Edwards brands.