U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) Upgraded to “Buy” at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $75.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $60.00.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on USB. Stephens initiated coverage on U.S. Bancorp in a report on Monday, June 15th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $63.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on U.S. Bancorp from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.92.

U.S. Bancorp Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:USB opened at $63.19 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $56.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.51. U.S. Bancorp has a 12 month low of $43.46 and a 12 month high of $63.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $98.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.96.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $7.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. U.S. Bancorp’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that U.S. Bancorp will post 5.09 EPS for the current year.

U.S. Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. U.S. Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other U.S. Bancorp news, EVP Venkatachari Dilip sold 34,522 shares of U.S. Bancorp stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $1,916,661.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 51,292 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,847,731.84. The trade was a 40.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jodi L. Richard sold 40,000 shares of U.S. Bancorp stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.00, for a total value of $2,280,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 207,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,813,307. The trade was a 16.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of USB. Norges Bank bought a new position in U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth about $1,887,497,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 5,236.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 33,350,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,779,556,000 after purchasing an additional 32,725,000 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new position in U.S. Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth about $296,377,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in U.S. Bancorp by 3,451.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,332,659 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $231,191,000 after buying an additional 4,210,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 24,919,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,329,683,000 after buying an additional 4,153,080 shares in the last quarter. 77.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about U.S. Bancorp

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies upgraded U.S. Bancorp (USB) to Buy and raised its price target to $75, reflecting confidence in improving earnings leverage and fee-based growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo increased its price target on USB to $66 and reiterated an Overweight rating, signaling continued optimism on the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. Bank subsidiary Elavon announced a partnership with Wix to launch unified commerce solutions for small businesses, which could support payments growth and expand business activity for USB. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its target on USB to $65 but kept an Underweight rating, reflecting mixed sentiment rather than a clear bullish turn. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a bullish earnings outlook piece on U.S. Bancorp, suggesting investors are focusing on potential Q2 strength, though it does not appear to be a fresh company announcement. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: No major negative company-specific developments were reported in the latest articles, but JPMorgan’s Underweight stance shows not all analysts are fully bullish on USB.

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.