Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Purchases 13,825 Shares of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its position in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Free Report) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 265,368 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 13,825 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $11,204,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in USB. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new stake in U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.60% of the company's stock.

U.S. Bancorp Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:USB traded down $1.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $42.93. 9,466,826 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,070,042. U.S. Bancorp has a 52 week low of $35.18 and a 52 week high of $53.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $66.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $41.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.06.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.06. U.S. Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.94% and a net margin of 14.75%. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that U.S. Bancorp will post 4.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Aleem Gillani purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $37.32 per share, with a total value of $186,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $559,800. This trade represents a 50.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on USB shares. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $56.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $51.00 target price (down previously from $57.00) on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $61.00 to $56.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered U.S. Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, U.S. Bancorp has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.72.

About U.S. Bancorp

U.S. Bancorp, a financial services holding company, provides various financial services to individuals, businesses, institutional organizations, governmental entities, and other financial institutions in the United States. It operates through Wealth, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking; Consumer and Business Banking; Payment Services; and Treasury and Corporate Support segments.