U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Wall Street Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate U.S. Bancorp a “Moderate Buy.” Sixteen of 25 analysts recommend buying the stock, with an average 12-month price target of $67.06.
• U.S. Bancorp exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.35 in EPS versus the $1.28 consensus and revenue of $7.69 billion versus $7.58 billion expected.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend from $0.52 to $0.54 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 3.6%; however, two insiders recently sold shares.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-five ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $67.06.

Several analysts recently issued reports on USB shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. DA Davidson raised their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on U.S. Bancorp from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a report on Monday, August 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Bancorp

In other U.S. Bancorp news, insider Stephen L. Philipson sold 36,906 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.08, for a total value of $2,328,030.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 74,969 shares in the company, valued at $4,729,044.52. This trade represents a 32.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gunjan Kedia sold 27,267 shares of U.S. Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.37, for a total transaction of $1,700,642.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 426,262 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,585,960.94. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 69,701,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,755,083,000 after buying an additional 522,368 shares during the last quarter. Mufg Bank LTD. bought a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,680,199,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,679,617 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,002,518,000 after acquiring an additional 443,646 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,887,497,000. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 5,236.0% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 33,350,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,779,556,000 after acquiring an additional 32,725,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.60% of the company's stock.

U.S. Bancorp Stock Up 1.6%

U.S. Bancorp stock opened at $59.33 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $92.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.95. U.S. Bancorp has a 1-year low of $45.02 and a 1-year high of $66.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.07. U.S. Bancorp had a net margin of 18.49% and a return on equity of 13.69%. The firm had revenue of $7.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.11 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that U.S. Bancorp will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This is a positive change from U.S. Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. U.S. Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.52%.

U.S. Bancorp Company Profile

U.S. Bancorp NYSE: USB is a financial services holding company and the parent organization of U.S. Bank, a full-service commercial bank. The company provides deposit accounts, consumer and business loans, mortgages, credit and debit cards, payment services, and other banking products to individuals, businesses, institutions and government entities.

Through its wealth, corporate and commercial banking operations, U.S. Bancorp also offers investment management, trust and custody services, treasury management, capital markets support, equipment finance and other specialized financial solutions.

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