Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of U.S. Bancorp Put Options (NYSE:USB)

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB – Get Rating) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock investors purchased 11,845 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 111% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,625 put options.

U.S. Bancorp Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of USB stock opened at $37.51 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market cap of $57.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.11, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $47.07 and a 200-day moving average of $44.65. U.S. Bancorp has a 1-year low of $36.13 and a 1-year high of $57.92.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.09. U.S. Bancorp had a return on equity of 16.13% and a net margin of 21.26%. The business had revenue of $6.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.61 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.07 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that U.S. Bancorp will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current year.

U.S. Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.12%. U.S. Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

USB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. DA Davidson started coverage on U.S. Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, December 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $47.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 27th. Credit Suisse Group increased their price objective on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $60.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Friday, January 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut U.S. Bancorp from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.83.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On U.S. Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. BCK Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in U.S. Bancorp during the first quarter worth about $2,514,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 9,397 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 20.8% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 21,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 3,663 shares during the period. Prudential PLC purchased a new position in U.S. Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,731,000. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its holdings in U.S. Bancorp by 5.9% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 86,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,573,000 after purchasing an additional 4,827 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.83% of the company’s stock.

U.S. Bancorp Company Profile

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U.S. Bancorp operates as a bank holding company, which offers financial services including lending and depository services, cash management, foreign exchange and trust and investment management. The firm also offers mortgage, refinance, auto, boat and RV loans, credit lines, credit card services, merchant, bank, checking and savings accounts, debit cards, online and mobile banking, ATM processing, mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage and leasing services.