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What to Expect from USB as it Remains Near its Peak

U.S. Bancorp acquired MUFG Union Bank for approximately $8 billion

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U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) is an American bank holding company with nearly 70,000 employees. It is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association, and is the fifth largest banking institution in the United States. U.S. Bancorp provides banking, investment, mortgage, trust, and payment services products to individuals, businesses, governmental entities, and other financial institutions.

On Tuesday, Sept. 21, U.S. Bancorp announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MUFG Union Bank’s core regional banking franchise from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). Under the terms of the agreement, U.S. Bancorp will purchase MUFG Union Bank for approximately $8 billion in a cash-and-stock deal. MUFG will also hold a minority stake of approximately 2.9% in U.S. Bancorp.

This acquisition comes just a few weeks before U.S. Bancorp is scheduled to release its third quarter of 2021 earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, Oct. 14. So far, USB has beat or met earnings expectations on all four of the most recent reports. For Q3 of 2020, U.S. Bancorp beat analyst estimates by a margin of $0.08, reporting an EPS of $0.99. For Q4 of 2020, UBS' EPS dropped to $0.95, still meeting expectations. For Q1 of 2021, U.S. Bancorp had an increase in earnings, rising to $1.45 per share. For Q2 of 2021, USB beat estimates by a margin of $0.14 and reported an EPS of $1.28. Analysts have U.S. Bank's EPS coming in at $1.14 for the upcoming Q3 earnings report.

U.S. Bancorp stock has increased about 66% in price year-over-year. Additionally, shares of USB have grown 28% year-to-date and the stock is currently down just 4% from a record high of $62.47 in mid-May.

In general, U.S. Bancorp stock is fundamentally sound but doesn’t offer much else to investors aside from a decent valuation and a solid dividend yield. USB only increased revenues 6% between fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2020 and has struggled to maintain consistent annual net income growth. Nonetheless, U.S. Bancorp stock has a forward dividend of $1.84, equivalent to a dividend yield of 3.05%, and currently trades at a price-earnings ratio of 12.23. In addition, the stock has a forward price-earnings ratio of 12.66, indicating a slight expected increase in earnings. Overall, USB is a strong pick for risk-averse investors looking for long-term gains.

 

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