SAO PAULO, March 11, 2026, 11:13 BRT
Banco Bradesco’s ADRs barely budged on Wednesday, trading at $3.88. Shareholders cleared a 6.67 billion reais capital boost by converting reserves to capital—no new shares are being issued. It’s essentially an accounting change: the capital goes up on paper, but the number of shares remains the same.
This move hits while Bradesco investors are still digesting the bank’s February numbers along with its 2026 outlook. For 2025, recurring net income came in at 24.7 billion reais, and return on average equity for the fourth quarter landed at 15.2%. The guidance, though, pegs fee income growth between 3% and 5% for this year, with operating expenses expected to climb 6% to 8%.
March 31 looms as Bradesco seeks a green light from shareholders for its healthcare shake-up. If approved, the bank’s health businesses would move under Odontoprev, a shift Bradesco argues will streamline operations and broaden its joint health and dental reach.
Brazil’s securities regulator CVM said in a summary filed late Tuesday that every point on the March 10 agenda cleared the vote, including a boost to share capital—now set to rise to 93.77 billion reais, up from 87.10 billion reais, through a legal reserve capitalization. Bradesco had previously noted that the move still needs a green light from the Central Bank.
Bradesco didn’t set the pace. Itaú Unibanco’s ADRs added roughly 0.7%, Santander Brasil’s climbed around 0.8%. On Bradesco’s investor-relations site, local preferred shares finished Tuesday at 20.03 reais, gaining 2.46%.
After the Feb. 6 results, Chief Executive Marcelo Noronha shrugged off investor reaction to the revised guidance, insisting he had “no concerns with that.” Bradesco, he said, remains all-in on transformation, with technology spending up 22% in 2025. On the lending side, Noronha maintained the bank’s “risk appetite is the same,” but noted it’s taking a sharper line on unsecured credit. Mziq API
Bradesco is eyeing healthcare as its next value driver. Chairman Luiz Carlos Trabuco pointed to the unit’s “scale, momentum and strategic relevance.” Carlos Marinelli, tapped to head Bradsaúde, said the business will kick off with “zero leverage.” Noronha, for his part, put Bradsaúde’s potential valuation at 40 billion to 50 billion reais, projecting 3.6 billion reais in net income and a 24% return on equity. Mziq API
Odontoprev is set to serve as the listed consolidator for Bradesco’s healthcare assets under the plan, with Bradesco touting expected gains in administrative efficiency. The Bradseg assets on the table for the spinoff? Book value comes in at 16.14 billion reais.
The optimistic scenario isn’t a done deal. The healthcare overhaul still depends on the March 31 vote and meeting other requirements. There’s no timeline yet for the follow-on that would boost Bradsaúde’s free float to the 25% mark on B3’s Novo Mercado premium segment. Bradesco’s 2026 goals? Not much margin for error on costs or fees.
The stock is holding steady for the moment. Tuesday’s approvals barely moved the needle, hinting that investors are still waiting for clearer signals on execution—capital comes first, healthcare overhaul next—before they’re willing to buy in again.
