Clearbridge Investments LLC Invests $54.94 Million in Nu Holdings Ltd. $NU

Clearbridge Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Nu Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NU) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 3,281,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,935,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.07% of NU at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. LOM Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of NU during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of NU by 5,448.3% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 1,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,580 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of NU during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of NU by 433.0% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,615 shares during the period. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of NU by 1,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 3,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the period. 84.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NU Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of NU opened at $11.58 on Tuesday. Nu Holdings Ltd. has a 52-week low of $11.20 and a 52-week high of $18.98. The company has a market capitalization of $56.25 billion, a PE ratio of 17.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

NU (NYSE:NU) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.01). NU had a return on equity of 30.91% and a net margin of 18.20%.The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Nu Holdings Ltd. will post 0.84 EPS for the current year.

NU announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, June 4th that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on NU shares. Zacks Research lowered NU from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating on shares of NU in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Scotiabank lowered NU to a “sector perform” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Itau BBA Securities restated an “outperform” rating on shares of NU in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered NU from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NU news, Director Anita M. Sands sold 21,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.24, for a total value of $257,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 162,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,984,716. This trade represents a 11.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Cristina Helena Zing Junqueira sold 300,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.81, for a total value of $4,443,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,312,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,245,725.78. This trade represents a 11.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure.

NU Profile

Nu Holdings Ltd (NYSE: NU), commonly known by its consumer brand Nubank, is a Latin American financial technology company that provides digital banking and financial services through a mobile-first platform. The company’s core offerings include no-fee digital checking accounts, credit cards, personal loans, payments and transfers, and a range of savings and investment products. Nubank emphasizes a streamlined customer experience delivered via its smartphone app, combined with data-driven underwriting and automated customer service tools.

Founded in 2013 by David Vélez, Cristina Junqueira and Edward Wible, Nu grew rapidly by targeting underbanked and digitally savvy consumers in Latin America with low-fee, transparent products.