AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Sells 102,990 Shares of U.S. Bancorp $USB

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd reduced its position in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) by 39.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 161,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 102,990 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $7,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in U.S. Bancorp in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in U.S. Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in U.S. Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Pineridge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in U.S. Bancorp by 446.2% during the second quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 639 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.60% of the company’s stock.

U.S. Bancorp Price Performance

USB opened at $53.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.34. U.S. Bancorp has a one year low of $35.18 and a one year high of $61.19.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. U.S. Bancorp had a return on equity of 13.48% and a net margin of 17.66%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.07 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that U.S. Bancorp will post 4.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. U.S. Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on USB shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised 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. Evercore lifted their price objective on U.S. Bancorp from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.02.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Mark G. Runkel sold 32,195 shares of U.S. Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.65, for a total value of $1,952,626.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 97,728 shares in the company, valued at $5,927,203.20. This trade represents a 24.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.