NU (NYSE:NU) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Nu Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NU – Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday. The stock had previously closed at $12.66, but opened at $13.24. NU shares last traded at $13.0040, with a volume of 16,572,963 shares traded.

NU News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting NU this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Nu said it is not pursuing a transaction with Monzo, removing uncertainty created by recent media reports and signaling that the company remains focused on its existing growth strategy. Reuters article
  • Positive Sentiment: Investor interest was reinforced by unusually heavy call-option activity, with reported call volume well above its typical level. This may reflect bullish short-term positioning, although options activity is speculative and does not change the company’s fundamentals. Unusual call option buying article
  • Neutral Sentiment: Nu is receiving increased investor attention as analysts and market participants compare its profitable, scaled digital-banking model with peers such as Chime. Recent reported results showed quarterly revenue of $5.88 billion and earnings per share of $0.22, but the articles did not identify a new earnings or guidance catalyst. Zacks trending stock article
  • Neutral Sentiment: Commentary is focused on whether Nu can replicate its Brazilian success in the United States. U.S. expansion could provide a substantial long-term opportunity, but it also introduces competitive and execution risks. Nu’s U.S. expansion commentary

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NU shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $19.00 target price on shares of NU in a research note on Monday. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on shares of NU from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of NU from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Scotiabank cut shares of NU to a “sector perform” rating and set a $13.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of NU from $16.90 to $18.20 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.02.

Get Our Latest Research Report on NU

NU Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $62.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.26, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.85.

NU (NYSE:NU – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter. NU had a net margin of 18.65% and a return on equity of 31.59%. The business had revenue of $5.88 billion during the quarter. Research analysts predict that Nu Holdings Ltd. will post 0.86 earnings per share for the current year.

NU declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, June 4th that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NU news, insider Henrique Camossa Sald Fragelli sold 221,707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.81, for a total transaction of $3,505,187.67. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 979,446 shares in the company, valued at $15,485,041.26. This represents a 18.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Cristina Junqueira sold 65,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.71, for a total value of $956,150.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,542,083 shares in the company, valued at $37,394,040.93. This trade represents a 2.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 361,707 shares of company stock valued at $5,626,338 in the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NU

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Squadra Investments Gestao DE Recursos LTDA. lifted its stake in shares of NU by 266.8% during the first quarter. Squadra Investments Gestao DE Recursos LTDA. now owns 22,312,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,631,000 after buying an additional 16,229,515 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its holdings in shares of NU by 855.9% during the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 16,111,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,524,000 after buying an additional 14,426,181 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. increased its position in shares of NU by 91.6% in the 1st quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 22,444,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,525,000 after acquiring an additional 10,729,747 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of NU by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 28,310,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $473,911,000 after acquiring an additional 9,893,940 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in NU by 1,198.4% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,964,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,451,000 after acquiring an additional 7,351,167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.02% of the company’s stock.

About NU

(Get Free Report)

Nu Holdings Ltd., operating under the Nubank brand, is a digital financial services company that provides banking and payment products primarily through mobile applications. The company offers digital accounts, credit cards, personal loans, payment services, investment products and insurance, serving consumers and small businesses.

Nubank was founded in 2013 by David Vélez, Cristina Junqueira and Edward Wible with the goal of expanding access to simpler, lower-cost financial services through technology.

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