Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Raises Stock Position in U.S. Bancorp $USB

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its U.S. Bancorp stake by 404.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 26,742 shares valued at about $1.43 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on U.S. Bancorp, with an average analyst rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $61.20.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.18 per share and raised attention with a 3.9% dividend yield after paying its latest quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Free Report) by 404.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,742 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 21,446 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $1,427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC raised its position in U.S. Bancorp by 54.7% in the 4th quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 608 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

USB has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $64.00 price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Argus upped their price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $58.00 to $57.50 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, U.S. Bancorp currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Venkatachari Dilip sold 34,522 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $1,916,661.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 51,292 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,847,731.84. This represents a 40.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jodi L. Richard sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.00, for a total transaction of $2,280,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 207,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,813,307. This trade represents a 16.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

U.S. Bancorp Stock Performance

NYSE:USB opened at $53.40 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. U.S. Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $42.21 and a fifty-two week high of $61.19. The stock has a market cap of $82.89 billion, a PE ratio of 11.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.00. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $53.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.39.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.04. U.S. Bancorp had a net margin of 18.01% and a return on equity of 13.55%. The business had revenue of $7.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.03 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that U.S. Bancorp will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. U.S. Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is 43.61%.

U.S. Bancorp Company Profile

U.S. Bancorp NYSE: USB is a bank holding company and the parent of U.S. Bank, a national commercial bank that provides a wide range of banking, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services. The company operates through consumer and business banking, commercial banking, payment services, and wealth management segments. Its product set includes deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage origination and servicing, credit and debit card services, treasury and cash management, merchant processing, and institutional and trust services.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

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