Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $31.69 Million Position in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio cut its position in shares of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Free Report) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 662,575 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 32,802 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $31,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in USB. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 77.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

U.S. Bancorp Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of U.S. Bancorp stock traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $43.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,500,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,096,746. U.S. Bancorp has a 12 month low of $35.18 and a 12 month high of $53.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $40.98 and a 200 day moving average of $45.75. The company has a market capitalization of $68.12 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. Analysts predict that U.S. Bancorp will post 4.38 earnings per share for the current year.

U.S. Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.57%. U.S. Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $43.50 price objective (down from $51.00) on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $56.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup decreased their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $54.00 to $49.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $61.00 to $56.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other U.S. Bancorp news, Director Aleem Gillani purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $37.32 per share, for a total transaction of $186,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 15,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $559,800. The trade was a 50.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

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.