U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $54.07.

USB has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of U.S. Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $51.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $53.00 price target on U.S. Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on U.S. Bancorp from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jodi L. Richard sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.03, for a total value of $1,225,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 129,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,363,603.70. This trade represents a 16.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On U.S. Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 4,792 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. McAdam LLC boosted its position in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 8,503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its position in U.S. Bancorp by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 31,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 15.2% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,741 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in U.S. Bancorp by 2.1% during the third quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 12,056 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $593,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. 77.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

U.S. Bancorp Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of U.S. Bancorp stock opened at $48.50 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.40. U.S. Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $37.81 and a fifty-two week high of $53.98. The firm has a market cap of $75.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.90 billion. U.S. Bancorp had a net margin of 12.92% and a return on equity of 12.91%. U.S. Bancorp’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that U.S. Bancorp will post 3.93 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, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.12%. U.S. Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.16%.

U.S. Bancorp announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, September 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.