Short Interest in Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) Expands By 60.0%

Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. (NYSE:ITUB) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 24,890,000 shares, an increase of 60.0% from the May 15th total of 15,560,000 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,560,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Itaú Unibanco Stock Performance

Shares of Itaú Unibanco stock traded down $0.01 on Friday, hitting $5.81. 16,824,225 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,344,963. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $6.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.54. Itaú Unibanco has a one year low of $5.12 and a one year high of $7.27.

Itaú Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The bank reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20. Itaú Unibanco had a return on equity of 18.73% and a net margin of 11.09%. The business had revenue of $8.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.34 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Itaú Unibanco will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Itaú Unibanco Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Monday, June 24th will be given a $0.0478 dividend. This is an increase from Itaú Unibanco’s previous Variable dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 24th. Itaú Unibanco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.41%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Itaú Unibanco by 67.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,375 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,755 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Itaú Unibanco during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its position in shares of Itaú Unibanco by 571.3% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 6,888 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 5,862 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new stake in Itaú Unibanco during the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Itaú Unibanco by 20,555.6% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 7,436 shares of the bank’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 7,400 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.