U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) Shares Acquired by Nicholas Company Inc.

Nicholas Company Inc. raised its holdings in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Free Report) by 62.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 157,539 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 60,779 shares during the period. Nicholas Company Inc.'s holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $7,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 32.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 63,913,931 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,922,784,000 after purchasing an additional 15,746,852 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 153.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,949,347 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $374,573,000 after acquiring an additional 4,807,662 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $184,733,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,789,725 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,381,443,000 after acquiring an additional 2,460,845 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt purchased a new stake in U.S. Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $111,274,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.60% of the company's stock.

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U.S. Bancorp Price Performance

U.S. Bancorp stock traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $42.58. The company had a trading volume of 9,203,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,825,862. The company has a market capitalization of $66.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.02. 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 has a 1 year low of $37.81 and a 1 year high of $53.98. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $46.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.69.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7 billion. U.S. Bancorp had a net margin of 14.75% and a return on equity of 12.94%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that U.S. Bancorp will post 4.38 EPS for the current year.

U.S. Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.70%. U.S. Bancorp's payout ratio is currently 52.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on USB shares. Citigroup raised shares of U.S. Bancorp from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $49.00 to $65.00 in a report on Monday, November 25th. Raymond James upgraded shares of U.S. Bancorp from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $57.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Compass Point raised their price objective on U.S. Bancorp from $49.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, DA Davidson upgraded U.S. Bancorp from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $53.93.

Insider Activity at U.S. Bancorp

In other news, insider Jodi L. Richard sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.59, for a total transaction of $1,427,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,790 shares in the company, valued at $4,749,006.10. This trade represents a 23.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP James L. Chosy sold 21,451 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total value of $1,022,140.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 198,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,440,751.55. This trade represents a 9.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 219,812 shares of company stock worth $10,385,665. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.