Investors Purchase High Volume of U.S. Bancorp Call Options (NYSE:USB)

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 14,126 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 74% compared to the typical daily volume of 8,101 call options.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jodi L. Richard sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.00, for a total value of $2,280,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 207,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,813,307. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Venkatachari Dilip sold 34,522 shares of U.S. Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 51,292 shares in the company, valued at $2,847,731.84. The trade was a 40.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of USB. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,780 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 15,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $832,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in U.S. Bancorp by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 13,721 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $732,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in U.S. Bancorp by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC now owns 23,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 0.9% during the first quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 19,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,038,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.60% of the company’s stock.

U.S. Bancorp Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:USB opened at $60.93 on Friday. U.S. Bancorp has a twelve month low of $43.46 and a twelve month high of $61.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $56.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.19.

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

U.S. Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. U.S. Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on USB. Wall Street Zen raised U.S. Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a report on Friday, April 17th. Stephens assumed coverage on U.S. Bancorp in a research note on Monday, June 15th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $63.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $64.00 target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.48.

Trending Headlines about U.S. Bancorp

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised U.S. Bancorp’s price target to $66 from $62 and kept a buy rating, signaling improved analyst confidence in the stock. Benzinga report on Truist price-target raise
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. Bancorp said it passed the Fed’s 2026 stress test and plans to boost its dividend, which highlights strong capital levels and supports the case for higher shareholder returns. Business Wire stress test results
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is expecting double-digit EPS growth when U.S. Bancorp reports second-quarter earnings next month, which keeps expectations constructive but still awaits the actual results. Barchart earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: U.S. Bancorp also drew unusual call-option activity, suggesting some traders are positioning for a further move higher, though this is not a fundamental catalyst on its own.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary from the bank on Dodd-Frank stress test results and capital returns mostly reinforces the same positive message: solid balance-sheet resilience and support for dividends and buybacks. Business Wire stress test results

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.