Groupama Asset Managment Grows Stock Holdings in Banco Bradesco S.A. (NYSE:BBD)

Groupama Asset Managment grew its stake in Banco Bradesco S.A. (NYSE:BBD) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 317,173 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,525 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Banco Bradesco were worth $603,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its holdings in Banco Bradesco by 215.1% in the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 82,839,944 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $158,224,000 after buying an additional 56,552,808 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Banco Bradesco by 20.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 56,809,743 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $108,507,000 after purchasing an additional 9,762,964 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Banco Bradesco by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 50,826,745 shares of the bank’s stock worth $97,079,000 after purchasing an additional 10,537,751 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Banco Bradesco by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 45,810,825 shares of the bank’s stock worth $87,499,000 after purchasing an additional 821,239 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in Banco Bradesco by 208.7% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 16,851,220 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,824,000 after purchasing an additional 11,393,100 shares during the last quarter.

Banco Bradesco Price Performance

Shares of BBD opened at $2.29 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.48, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Banco Bradesco S.A. has a 1-year low of $1.84 and a 1-year high of $2.98. The stock has a market cap of $24.32 billion, a PE ratio of 7.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 0.94.

Banco Bradesco (NYSE:BBD) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The bank reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.09. Banco Bradesco had a net margin of 8.46% and a return on equity of 11.43%. As a group, analysts forecast that Banco Bradesco S.A. will post 0.37 EPS for the current year.

Banco Bradesco Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.0398 per share. This is a positive change from Banco Bradesco’s previous monthly dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 20.88%. Banco Bradesco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on BBD shares. HSBC raised shares of Banco Bradesco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $2.80 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Banco Bradesco from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $2.40 to $2.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Banco Bradesco Company Profile

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.