Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Decreases Holdings in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. cut its holdings in shares of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) by 35.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 23,447 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $2,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 1,088.9% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 535 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 70.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 77.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

U.S. Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of U.S. Bancorp stock opened at $42.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $66.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.02. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $46.31 and its 200 day moving average is $47.63. U.S. Bancorp has a 1 year low of $37.81 and a 1 year high of $53.98. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7 billion. U.S. Bancorp had a net margin of 14.75% and a return on equity of 12.94%. U.S. Bancorp’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that U.S. Bancorp will post 4.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

U.S. Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. U.S. Bancorp’s payout ratio is 52.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Compass Point lifted their target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $49.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, U.S. Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $53.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other U.S. Bancorp news, insider Jodi L. Richard sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.59, for a total transaction of $1,427,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 99,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,749,006.10. This represents a 23.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Terrance R. Dolan sold 66,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.96, for a total transaction of $3,114,246.32. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 209,482 shares in the company, valued at $9,837,274.72. This represents a 24.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 219,812 shares of company stock worth $10,385,665 in the last quarter. 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.