Itau Unibanco (ITUB, Financial), Brazil’s leading bank, has strong market positions in consumer credit and payments and is exposed to under-penetrated areas of the financial market that are poised to grow over the next three to five years. Brazil’s struggling economy and sharp currency depreciation weighed substantially on Itau Unibanco’s stock during 2015 (down 41%(e) in U.S. dollars). We conducted both on-the-ground and other due diligence with company management and government officials to evaluate economic and company-specific concerns. What we found reaffirmed our view that Itau’s management has proactively managed credit risk by reducing exposures and raising provisions. Management is focused on enhancing shareholder value and has a solid track record of capital allocation. Beyond this cycle, management is investing for the future and strengthening Itau’s competitive advantage. For example, Itau continues to invest in online access to better serve the needs of affluent customers and more efficiently handle payments and transactions for its retail customer base. At 1.6 times tangible book value, Itau trades at a 10-year low valuation. While political and macroeconomic instability has plagued Brazil, we believe Itau is an attractive long-term investment opportunity and added to the holding. On December 31, Itau was a 1.7% position in the Fund.
From Dodge & Cox International Stock Fund year-end letter 2015.
