Vontobel Holding Ltd. Increases Holdings in Banco Bradesco S.A. (NYSE:BBD)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Banco Bradesco S.A. (NYSE:BBD) by 9.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,925,569 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 251,998 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Banco Bradesco were worth $5,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Banco Bradesco by 99.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,254 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 5,623 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Banco Bradesco during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Traveka Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Bradesco during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Banco Bradesco during the third quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Banco Bradesco by 110.5% in the third quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 20,000 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 10,500 shares in the last quarter.

Banco Bradesco Stock Performance

Shares of BBD stock opened at $2.17 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.04 billion, a PE ratio of 8.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.94. Banco Bradesco S.A. has a 52-week low of $1.84 and a 52-week high of $2.98. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $2.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Banco Bradesco (NYSE:BBD) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The bank reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.09. Banco Bradesco had a return on equity of 10.17% and a net margin of 7.43%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Banco Bradesco S.A. will post 0.33 EPS for the current year.

Banco Bradesco Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.0033 per share. This is a boost from Banco Bradesco’s previous monthly dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Banco Bradesco’s payout ratio is presently 11.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BBD has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Banco Bradesco from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $2.40 to $2.00 in a research note on Wednesday. HSBC raised Banco Bradesco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $2.80 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Banco Bradesco from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th.

About Banco Bradesco

Banco Bradesco SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services to individuals, corporates, and businesses in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Banking and Insurance. It provides current, savings, click, and salary accounts; real estate credit, vehicle financing, payroll loans, mortgage loans, microcredit, leasing, and personal and installment credit; overdraft and agribusiness loans; debit and business cards; financial and security services; consortium products; car, personal accident, dental, travel, and life insurance; investment products; pension products; foreign currency exchange services; capitalization bonds; and internet banking services.