Friday, December 21, 2018

Can A New Growth Cycle In Brazil Spark Growth For Itau Unibanco?

It has been an up-and-down year for Brazil’s economy and investor sentiment, so it’s no great surprise that the shares of Itau Unibanco (ITUB) have likewise bounced around. Although the ADRs haven’t really gone anywhere fast when compared to the price twelve months ago, they are up about 30% from my last update on the company on renewed optimism over Brazil’s economy and perhaps some recognition of Itau’s excellent capital and market position.

As far as the potential returns from here, though, I’m not as bullish as I was mid-year. I’m expecting double-digit earnings growth for each of the next five years (and healthy growth beyond that), and that supports a low-to-mid teens annualized return from here, which isn’t bad but not as strong as the 20%+ returns I saw before this run. Where Brazil to enter another “boom” cycle in the economy, there would certainly be upside to my numbers, but then there is also potential downside if the government’s efforts to improve the economy don’t pan out and/or if up-and-coming fintech rivals successfully disintermediate the traditional banks.

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Can A New Growth Cycle In Brazil Spark Growth For Itau Unibanco?

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