SAO PAULO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Brazilian bank Itau

Unibanco ( ITUB ) expects its total loan book growth to slow

this year, it said on Wednesday, as it posted as-expected

quarterly profit growth and announced 15 billion reais ($2.59

billion) in fresh dividends.

Latin America's largest private lender by total assets

said it expects its total credit portfolio to grow between 4.5%

and 8.5% in 2025, after its portfolio size leaped by 15.5% last

year.

The lender posted a net recurring profit of 10.88

billion reais ($1.88 billion) for the quarter ended in December,

up nearly 16% year-on-year and in line with an estimate of 10.89

billion reais from analysts polled by LSEG.

Its return on equity, a gauge of profitability, stood at

22.1% in the quarter, up from 21.1% a year earlier, but down

from 22.7% in the third quarter.

In addition, Itau also announced a share buyback and the

issuance of a share bonus.

($1 = 5.7973 reais)