Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Grows Stake in U.S. Bancorp $USB

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group raised its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 186.3% in Q3 to 43,657 shares, adding 28,407 shares and bringing its holding to about $2.11 million.
• Major institutional activity includes Norges Bank opening a new position worth roughly $971.3 million and Vanguard holding ~143.27 million shares (~$6.48 billion), with institutions owning about 77.6% of the stock.
• U.S. Bancorp announced a quarterly dividend of $0.52 (a 4.0% yield, record Mar 31, payable Apr 15) and recently beat estimates with $1.26 EPS and $7.92 billion in revenue for the quarter.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Free Report) by 186.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,657 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 28,407 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $2,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the second quarter worth $971,285,000. Davis Selected Advisers grew its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 29.8% during the second quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 19,331,637 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $874,757,000 after acquiring an additional 4,442,623 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 1,589.4% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,472,252 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $157,119,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266,724 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in U.S. Bancorp by 354.5% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,855,350 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $129,205,000 after acquiring an additional 2,227,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 143,269,275 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,482,935,000 after purchasing an additional 2,038,996 shares in the last quarter. 77.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

U.S. Bancorp Stock Performance

U.S. Bancorp stock opened at $52.19 on Thursday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $55.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $81.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.04. U.S. Bancorp has a twelve month low of $35.18 and a twelve month high of $61.19.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. U.S. Bancorp had a net margin of 17.66% and a return on equity of 13.48%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.07 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that U.S. Bancorp will post 4.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. U.S. Bancorp's payout ratio is 45.02%.

U.S. Bancorp News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting U.S. Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Declared quarterly common dividend of $0.52 (record Mar 31; payable Apr 15), implying roughly a 4.0% yield — reinforces income profile and attracts yield-seeking investors. U.S. Bancorp Announces Quarterly Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Launched expanded wealth offerings (Wealth Connect + commission-free trading) aimed at boosting client engagement and fee income over time — strategic diversification of noninterest revenue could improve revenue mix if adoption scales. U.S. Bancorp Expands Wealth Offerings: Will it Drive Fee Income Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent media/analyst pieces highlight USB as an attractive dividend stock (yield, payout history, earnings coverage), which can draw investor inflows into the common shares. Why U.S. Bancorp (USB) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now Zacks: Why U.S. Bancorp (USB) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at the RBC Capital Markets Global Financial Institutions Conference — useful for investor visibility and updated management commentary, but no single market-moving guidance disclosed in the transcript. U.S. Bancorp (USB) Presents at RBC Capital Markets Global Financial Institutions Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Company also announced dividends on several preferred/depositary preferred series (multiple small series payments). These affect preferred holders and capital structure but are unlikely to materially change common-share fundamentals. U.S. Bancorp 4% DEP PFD SER M declares $0.25 dividend

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on USB shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. HSBC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded U.S. Bancorp from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $60.02.

Insider Activity at U.S. Bancorp

In other news, insider Mark G. Runkel sold 32,195 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.65, for a total transaction of $1,952,626.75. Following the transaction, the insider owned 97,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,927,203.20. The trade was a 24.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

About U.S. Bancorp

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.