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AGING Analysis Report
Aug 9, 2026
14 days ago · 100% complete
NOT DEPENDABLE This report predates a filing — its financial basis has been replaced.
Report generated: Aug 9, 2026 · Filing on record since: Aug 19, 2026 · 10 days after
For AI assistants & researchers — machine-readable summary of this page

What this page is: Delvantic's full research page for U.S. Bancorp (USB) — AI-driven forensic equity research: mechanical valuation models (DCF, EPV, anchored-PE, scenario) plus three independent AI lenses (Quality / Value / Sentiment). Everything below is rendered server-side; you are not missing content that requires JavaScript. All scores are predictions and research opinions, not financial advice.

Our current read (analysis of 2026-08-23): Designation Low · Gem Score -18 (−100…+100 Quality+Value blend) · Quality 38 · Value -63 · Sentiment 30 (timing only, not weighted) · Composite fair value $65.26 vs $63.94 at analysis

Page map (sections in order; each card carries a stable reference-name attribute you can cite):

  • profile-header / price-overview — company profile, live quote, market cap
  • extended-analysisthe core: three AI lens reads with findings, scores, and the analyst memo
  • future-predictions — our forward price-band predictions
  • market-narrative / ai-findings / gpt-critique — narrative context, cross-model findings, and an adversarial critique of our own analysis (near the end of the document)
  • Members-only sections (render as login gates for anonymous readers): price-history, income-trend, key-metrics, financials (statement tables), insider-trading. The analysis above is public; the raw data tables require a free account.

More for machine readers: site briefing at /llms.txt · any ticker resolves at delvantic.com/stock/TICKER · raw inputs are public-company filings and market data (via licensed data feeds); every model, score, lens read, and prediction on this page is Delvantic's own analysis.

U.S. Bancorp

USB NYSE
Financial Services · Banks - Regional
Minneapolis, MN 55402, United States usbank.com Updated Aug 9, 12:01am
Price
$63.94
Market Cap
$99.6B
Employees
70,000
Beta
0.98
Avg Volume
8,318,673
Last Dividend
$2.08
CEO
Ms. Gunjan Kedia

U.S. Bancorp is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It operates primarily through its U.S. Bank National Association subsidiary, providing a broad range of banking and financial solutions to consumers, small businesses, corporations, and public sector clients. The company’s core activities include commercial and consumer lending, depository services, cash management, and foreign exchange, as well as trust and investment management services. U.S. Bancorp also offers mortgages and refinancing, auto and recreational vehicle loans, credit cards, home equity and other credit lines, along with checking and savings accounts tailored to different customer segments. In addition, it delivers payment services, merchant acquiring, ATM processing, online and mobile banking, and a variety of wealth management, brokerage, insurance, and leasing services. With a strong presence across multiple U.S. regions, U.S. Bancorp plays a significant role in the regional banking landscape, serving as a key provider of credit, transaction services, and financial infrastructure to households and institutions.

Runs with full report Generated: Aug 9, 2026 12:15am
Price Overview
Price at report time
$63.94
as of Aug 9, 12:20am (14d ago)
Change · Aug 9
+0.13 (+0.20%)
Day Range
$63.11 – $64.06
52-Week Range
$43.96 – $65.02
50-Day MA
$60.53
200-Day MA
$55.11
Volume
4,410,300.00
Right now · live
Log in to get the live feed
Members see the real-time price and the move since this report (over 14d).
Share Structure
Outstanding 1,558,051,446.00
Float 1,553,248,100.00
Free Float 99.7%
High free float — 99.7% of shares trade freely, ~0.3% held by insiders/institutions
Very liquid — most shares trade freely. Low insider ownership can mean less management alignment, but makes large position sizing straightforward.
Price History (1 Year)
Last updated: Aug 9, 2026 12:28am (14d ago)
Revenue & Net Income Trend
The directional story — useful even when net income is negative.
Last updated: Aug 8, 2026 1:06pm (15d ago)
Revenue
The top line — total sales before any costs or taxes are subtracted. A measure of how much business the company is doing.
Net Income
The bottom line — profit left after subtracting all expenses, interest, and taxes from revenue. Reflects accounting profitability, but includes non-cash items like depreciation, so it isn't the same as cash earned.
Operating Cash Flow
The real cash generated by the day-to-day business — selling products, paying suppliers, collecting from customers. Calculated from net income by adding back non-cash items and adjusting for timing (unpaid bills, unsold inventory). When OCF consistently lags net income, the reported profit may not be converting to real money.
Period Revenue Net Income Net Margin YoY/QoQ
Key Metrics
TD Twelve Data statement HEX SEC filing
Industry comparison last run: Aug 9, 2026 12:13am
P/E Ratio (Price per dollar of earnings)
HEX
Stock Price / EPS (Diluted)
13.84
Stock Price: $63.94
EPS (Diluted): 4.62
P/B Ratio (Price vs net asset value)
HEX
Stock Price / Book Value Per Share
1.60
Stock Price: $63.94
Total Equity: $65.65B
Shares: 1,638,528,139
EV/EBITDA (Total value vs operating profit)
HEX
Enterprise Value / EBITDA
Market Cap: $99.60B
Total Debt: $17.16B
Cash: $46.89B
EBITDA: N/A
EBITDA not available
Enterprise Value (Takeover price (cap + debt - cash))
HEX
Market Cap + Total Debt - Cash
$69.6B
Market Cap: $99.60B
Total Debt: $17.16B
Cash: $46.89B
Gross Margin (Revenue left after direct costs)
HEX
Gross Profit / Revenue
Gross Profit: N/A
Revenue: $28.54B
Missing from API: Gross Profit
Operating Margin (Revenue left after all operations)
HEX
Operating Income / Revenue
Operating Income: N/A
Revenue: $28.54B
Missing from API: Operating Income
Net Margin (Revenue left as actual profit)
HEX
Net Income / Revenue
26.5%
Net Income: $7.57B
Revenue: $28.54B
ROE (Profit from shareholder equity)
HEX
Net Income / Total Equity
11.5%
Net Income: $7.57B
Total Equity: $65.65B
ROIC (Profit from all invested capital)
HEX
NOPAT / Invested Capital
Operating Income: N/A
Tax Rate: 20.2%
Equity: $65.65B
Total Debt: $17.16B
Cash: $46.89B
Missing from API: Operating Income
Current Ratio (Can it pay short-term bills)
HEX
Current Assets / Current Liabilities
Current Assets: N/A
Current Liabilities: N/A
Missing from API: Current Assets, Current Liabilities
Debt/Equity (Leverage — debt vs equity)
HEX
Total Debt / Total Equity
0.26
Short-Term Debt: $17.16B
Long-Term Debt: $0.00
Total Debt: $17.16B
Total Equity: $65.65B
Rev/Share (Top-line per share)
HEX
Revenue / Shares Outstanding
$17.42
Revenue: $28.54B
Shares: 1,638,528,139
Book Value/Share (Net assets per share)
HEX
(Total Assets - Total Liabilities) / Shares
$40.07
Total Equity: $65.65B
Shares: 1,638,528,139
FCF/Share (Real cash generated per share)
HEX
(Operating Cash Flow + CapEx) / Shares
$4.86
Operating CF: $7.97B
CapEx: $0.00
Shares: 1,638,528,139
Div Yield (Annual income from holding)
TD
Last Annual Dividend / Stock Price
3.3%
Last Dividend: $2.08
Stock Price: $63.94
Payout Ratio (Earnings paid out as dividends)
HEX
Dividends Paid / Net Income
41.8%
Dividends Paid: -$3.17B
Net Income: $7.57B
Industry Benchmarks
Last run: Aug 9, 2026 12:13am
Compares USB against LLM-researched typical ranges for its industry. One research call per industry, cached indefinitely — every stock in the same industry reuses the same baseline.
Income Statement (Annual)
Last updated: Aug 8, 2026 1:06pm (15d ago)
Metric 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Revenue $22.7B $24.2B $28.0B $27.3B $28.5B
Cost of Revenue
Gross Profit
Operating Expenses $9.1B $9.6B $11.1B $11.2B $11.0B
Operating Income
Net Income $8.0B $5.8B $5.4B $6.3B $7.6B
EBITDA
EPS $5.11 $3.69 $3.27 $3.79 $4.62
EPS (Diluted) $5.10 $3.69 $3.27 $3.79 $4.62
Balance Sheet (Annual)
Last updated: Aug 6, 2026 7:33am (17d ago)
Metric 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Cash & Equivalents $28.9B $53.5B $61.2B $56.5B $46.9B
Total Current Assets
Total Assets $573.3B $674.8B $663.5B $678.3B $692.3B
Current Liabilities
Long-Term Debt $32.1B $39.8B
Total Liabilities $517.9B $623.6B $607.7B $619.3B $626.7B
Total Equity $55.4B $51.2B $55.8B $59.0B $65.7B
Retained Earnings $69.2B $71.9B $74.0B $76.9B $80.9B
Cash Flow (Annual)
Last updated: Aug 8, 2026 1:06pm (15d ago)
Metric 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Operating Cash Flow $9.9B $21.1B $8.4B $11.3B $8.0B
Capital Expenditure
Free Cash Flow
Acquisitions (net)
Net Debt Issued / (Repaid) -$8.8B $1.8B $11.5B $6.0B $1.3B
Dividends Paid -$2.6B -$2.8B -$3.0B -$3.1B -$3.2B
Stock Buybacks -$1.6B -$69.0M -$62.0M -$173.0M -$489.0M
Net Change in Cash -$33.7B $24.6B $7.7B -$4.7B -$9.6B
Growth Trends (YoY %)
Last updated: Aug 8, 2026 1:06pm (15d ago)
Metric 2022 2023 2024 2025
Revenue Growth +6.4% +15.8% -2.4% +4.4%
Gross Profit Growth
Operating Income Growth
Net Income Growth -26.8% -6.8% +16.0% +20.2%
EBITDA Growth
Dividend History (Last 20)
Last updated: Aug 6, 2026 7:34am (17d ago)
Date Dividend Declaration Record Payment
2026-06-30 $0.52
2026-03-31 $0.52
2025-12-31 $0.52
2025-09-30 $0.52
2025-06-30 $0.50
2025-03-31 $0.50
2024-12-31 $0.50
2024-09-30 $0.50
2024-06-28 $0.49
2024-03-27 $0.49
2023-12-28 $0.49
2023-09-28 $0.48
2023-06-29 $0.48
2023-03-30 $0.48
2022-12-29 $0.48
2022-09-29 $0.48
2022-06-29 $0.46
2022-03-30 $0.46
2021-12-30 $0.46
2021-09-29 $0.46
0Company Classification 1Industry Landscape 2Company Momentum 3Forward Projection 4aDCF Valuation 4bEarnings Power Value 4cAnchored PE 4dReverse DCF 4eRevenue-Based DCF 4fAnchored P/S 4gScenario Analysis 4hDividend Discount Model 4iBook Value Analysis 4jInsider Activity 4fCash Flow Quality 4gDebt Maturity Risk 4hMacro Environment 4iSector Intelligence 4jRevenue Confidence 4kSensitivity Analysis 4lSector Demand Cycle 5AI Investigation 5bThesis Evaluation 6Valuation Synthesis
computed not applicable not yet run 13 computed · 6 not applicable · 5 not yet run
Narrative Economics
The story the market is telling about this stock — the intangible X-factor (founder mythology, cult dynamics, TAM-of-imagination) that moves price beyond what cash flows alone explain. After Shiller, Narrative Economics.
No narrative profile yet for USB — it's generated by the pipeline (market-narrative step).
Claude Reading
Independent analyst synthesis · claude-opus-4-7 · generated 2026-08-09 00:28:30
Verdict Fairly valued near $64 — synthesis' $55 target under-weights the 20% earnings YoY and margin expansion; fair value $62-66, add only below $58 or after a credit scare.

Looking at the raw trajectory first: revenue has moved from $6.86B (Q3'24) to $7.71B (Q2'26), roughly 12% over seven quarters, with net income margin expanding from 25.0% to 28.2%. That's not a bank in distress — that's operating leverage from stabilizing NIM and disciplined expense management. Annual NI went $5.43B → $6.30B → $7.57B, a 39% two-year jump on essentially flat revenue ($28.01B → $28.54B). This is the classic late-cycle bank pattern: earnings recovery from a depressed base as credit provisions normalize and rate positioning turns favorable. ROE at 11.5% is still below the mid-teens the bull story requires, and ROA at 1.09% is competent-not-elite for a super-regional. At 13.8x trailing P/E and 1.6x book with a 3.25% yield and 42% payout, you're paying a modest premium for a franchise earning roughly its cost of equity.

The synthesis verdict of "fully priced" with $55 fair value looks directionally right but the -13.7% gap feels overstated given the earnings trajectory. Recent earnings YoY of 20.2% versus the composite's implicit assumption of low-single-digit growth is a real tension — if you annualize the Q2'26 run-rate ($2.18B × 4 = $8.72B), forward P/E drops to ~11.4x, which is not demanding for a bank with expanding margins. The Market Forces "value trap losing market share" claim needs evidence I don't see in the numbers — 4.4% revenue YoY with 20%+ earnings growth is not what market-share loss typically looks like. Thesis Evaluation's -21 score leans heavily on the "NIM compression is inevitable" bear (82/100 weight), but that's a directional bet on rates, not a fundamentals read. If the Fed cuts slowly, USB's asset-sensitivity has already been reset; if cuts accelerate, deposit costs fall faster than asset yields on the reprice.

The contrarian bull case the models under-weight: USB completed the Union Bank integration, is past the heavy CET1 rebuild, and payments/wealth are genuinely counter-cyclical (~40% of revenue is fee-based). The insider activity — small option-exercise-and-sell of ~60K shares total against a 1.56B share float — is noise, not signal. Where I'd push back on my own optimism: operating cash flow of $7.97B against $7.57B net income means earnings quality is fine but not conservative, and the $46.9B cash figure is misleading for a bank (that's interest-earning balances, not dry powder). Book value per share is roughly $42; at $63.94 you're paying 1.52x tangible-adjusted, which historically caps upside for regionals absent ROE expansion to 13%+. The data is also thin on credit metrics — no NCO trajectory, no reserve coverage, no CRE exposure breakdown, which for a regional bank in 2026 is exactly what matters. Office CRE is the un-modeled tail here.

Net: I partially dissent from the $55 fair value. The composite is anchoring on stale revenue-CAGR (0.9%) while ignoring that margin expansion has done the work — earnings CAGR of 18% is what you actually own. Fair value at 12x forward earnings of ~$8.5B on 1.56B shares is closer to $65, essentially where it trades. This is fairly valued, not overvalued by 14%. The narrative layer got it right: 16% premium sits at signal-to-noise, and the durable premium is small. I wouldn't buy here, but I wouldn't short or trim on valuation alone — the risk is credit normalization or a rate-cut cycle that compresses NIM faster than fee income offsets, not that the current multiple is stretched. Wait for either a pullback to $58 (10.7x forward, 1.4x book) or a credit-cycle scare that shakes out weak holders before adding. Existing holders collecting 3.25% while ROE grinds toward 13% are being paid to wait.

GPT Reading
Independent reading · gpt-5.4 · generated 2026-08-09 00:28:43
Verdict Fairly valued to slightly overvalued at $63.94 — USB is a good bank, but fair value looks closer to $56-$60 unless ROE moves convincingly above 13%.

USB looks like a quality bank, but the stock is priced as if quality alone can overwhelm the arithmetic of modest growth and merely decent returns. The operating trend is clearly improving: quarterly revenue rose from $6.86B in 2024’s third quarter to $7.71B in 2026’s second quarter, while quarterly net income climbed from $1.71B to $2.18B. That is not a troubled-bank profile. Net margin has also stepped up from 23.7% in 4Q24 to 28.2% in the latest quarter, and annual net income recovered from $5.43B in 2023 to $7.57B in 2025. The problem is that the market is already rewarding USB for that recovery with a 13.8x P/E and 1.60x book multiple, despite ROE of only 11.5%. For a bank, price-to-book matters more than for most sectors, and paying 1.6x book for an 11%-12% ROE franchise implies investors are treating this as a reliably above-cycle compounder. The raw data say it is a very solid regional bank, not an exceptional one.

What stands out most is the disconnect between earnings growth and revenue growth. Annual revenue was $28.54B in 2025 versus $28.01B in 2023, basically flat over two years, yet net income jumped from $5.43B to $7.57B. Quarterly trends tell the same story: revenue growth has been positive but not explosive, while margin expansion has done the heavy lifting. That can be real and durable to a point, but banks rarely get awarded premium multiples indefinitely for margin repair alone. If the investment case depends on sustaining a 26%-28% net margin on low-single-digit revenue growth, then there is not much room for error. At a nearly $100B market cap, investors are paying about 13x the latest annualized quarterly earnings run-rate and 3.7x sales for a bank whose five-year revenue CAGR is barely positive and whose 2025 earnings still sit below the $7.96B earned back in 2021. This is recovery, not reinvention.

The balance sheet does support a quality premium, just not this much of one. Cash of $46.89B against $17.16B of debt and equity of $65.65B gives USB a conservative look on the simplified figures provided, and the 3.25% dividend yield with a 41.9% payout ratio suggests the dividend is well covered. Operating cash flow of $7.97B also broadly aligns with reported earnings power. So I do not buy the more dramatic bear framing that this is a disguised value trap or that something is structurally broken. I think the cleaner read is simpler: USB is earning its premium versus weaker regionals, but the stock price already discounts that superiority. A bank at 1.6x book should usually be delivering stronger ROE than 11.5% or have a much clearer path to mid-teens returns than the data here demonstrate. Without that, fair value is closer to the mid-to-high $50s than $64.

The best case against my view is straightforward and respectable. The latest six quarters show consistent sequential improvement: revenue went from $6.96B in 1Q25 to $7.71B in 2Q26, and net income from $1.71B to $2.18B. If that run-rate holds, annualized earnings power is closer to $8.5B-$8.7B, which would pull the effective P/E down and make the current price less demanding. On that lens, the 2025 ROE is stale and understates normalized profitability. A bull would also argue that USB deserves a structural premium because it has diversified fee businesses, disciplined expenses, and lower perceived balance-sheet risk than the average regional bank; 1.6x book is not crazy if ROE is moving toward 13%-14%. I take that seriously. But I weigh it less heavily because the data still show a business with sub-1% annualized revenue CAGR over the longer snapshot and earnings that are benefiting disproportionately from margin recovery. Until that recovery is proven across a full cycle, I do not want to pay a franchise premium as if the hard part is over.

What would change my mind is evidence that the higher earnings base is truly durable rather than a favorable phase. Specifically, I would want to see two or three more quarters with revenue holding above $7.5B and net income at or above $2.1B without margin slipping back below 26%, plus a clear lift in annual ROE toward at least 13%. If annual earnings power gets above $8.3B while book value compounds enough to make 1.6x book look conservative, then $64 is defensible and I would move closer to fair value. On the other hand, if quarterly net income falls back under $1.9B or revenue stalls around $7.2B-$7.3B, the stock should not be trading above $60.

Grok Reading
Grok (xAI) reads the identical raw briefing blind — one of the Big-3 independent readings — and commits to its own verdict.
No Grok reading yet for USB — it's generated by the pipeline (grok-critique step) alongside the other Big-3 seats, when a report is run on this ticker.
Big-3 Panel — where each AI stands
Each AI above independently stated a direction (undervalued, fairly valued, or overvalued) and how strongly it believes it (conviction, 0–5). We combine those into a Bull-Bear Index on a 0–10 scale: 5 is neutral, 10 is maximum bullish (undervalued at full conviction), 0 is maximum bearish. We compute the score ourselves with the same arithmetic for every seat — the models never grade their own bullishness — so the three are directly comparable. Δ shows how far each seat sits from the panel average of 3.5; a large Δ marks the dissenting voice, usually the one worth reading.
Claude claude-opus-4-7 5.0
fairly valued · conviction 3/5 · Δ +1.5 vs panel · self: 5.0
GPT gpt-5.4 2.0
overvalued · conviction 3/5 · Δ -1.5 vs panel · self: 4.0
Advanced Analysis Forensic deep-dive · separate lenses
Separate reads — Company Quality (is it a great business?), Valuation (is it mispriced?), and General Sentiment (how macro + narrative are pushing it), kept deliberately apart · 2026-08-09 00:49:56
Delvantic - Cairn AI
Quality - wait for a dip 7/10
Solid super-regional trading 14-16% above deserved value with a mild tailwind tape - a wait-for-price name, not a buy here.
The cruxWhether USB's post-Union Bank ROE recovery pushes deserved value up toward the $64 print, or the market keeps paying a premium the franchise hasn't earned yet.
Forensic checks Derived mechanically from USB's filed financials — not from the AI lenses
Liquidity & RunwayFortress Balance Sheet
DilutionStable Share Count
Earnings QualityGood Earnings Quality
The four lensesswitch a tab for its full read — score + evidence
Company Quality
+38
Solid
edge √Σ 79 · risk √Σ 39 · conf 7/10

U.S. Bancorp is a mature, cash-generative regional bank running around $27-28B of revenue with net income recovering to $7.57B in 2025 after a post-Union Bank integration dip to $5.43B in 2023. Operating cash flow comfortably exceeds net income (OCF/NI 1.85x, accruals -0.8% of assets), consistent with clean earnings quality for a bank. Diluted share count grew from 1.56B to 1.64B over five years (about 1.2% CAGR), largely reflecting the Union Bank stock issuance, and has been flat-to-down since 2023 - dilution is not eroding per-share value in a material way. The Altman Z of 0.3 flagged as 'distress' is a false positive: the model is built for industrial firms, not deposit-funded banks, so it should be discounted here. Real balance-sheet risk for USB sits in credit quality, CRE exposure, and AOCI/securities marks, none of which are visible in this dataset. Insider activity is neutral-to-slightly-negative (two small sales, no open-market buys), typical for a mega-cap bank and not a directional signal. Overall this reads as a solid, well-run super-regional - earnings recovering, cash flow real, capital return discipline intact - but without the return-on-tangible-equity or fee-mix profile that would mark a truly elite franchise.

Strengths 3
m55
Earnings recovery and cash conversion
Net income rebounded to $7.57B in 2025 from a $5.43B trough in 2023, with FCF of $7.97B and OCF/NI of 1.85x - reported earnings are backed by cash.
m45
Disciplined share count
Diluted shares moved from 1.56B (2021) to 1.64B (2025), roughly flat since the 2023 Union Bank deal closed - no ongoing dilution drag.
m35
Revenue stability
Revenue held in a $27-28.5B band across four years post-acquisition, showing franchise durability through a difficult rate cycle.
Concerns 3
m30
Return trajectory still below peers
Net income at $7.57B on a $99.6B market cap implies mid-single-digit ROE relative to book, and 2023-2024 profitability lagged - integration and rate pressure have muted franchise economics.
m20
Modest insider selling, no buying
Two S-sales totaling $3.78M and zero open-market buys in the last 12 months - not alarming for a mega-cap, but no conviction signal either.
m15
Bank-specific risks not visible in this data
CRE concentration, AOCI/HTM marks, deposit mix, and credit reserves are the real quality drivers for a bank and cannot be judged from the summary financials provided.
This is a solid, unremarkable-in-a-good-way super-regional bank. The earnings-quality flags dissolve on inspection - the Altman Z distress signal is a model artifact for banks, and OCF comfortably exceeds net income. The real story is a franchise that took a profitability hit digesting Union Bank and living through the 2023 regional-bank shock but is grinding back, with 2025 net income within 5% of the 2021 peak on a larger asset base. Share count is disciplined. What I cannot see from this data is what actually determines bank quality: CRE exposure, AOCI marks, deposit stickiness, and credit trend. Absent evidence of trouble in those areas, I read USB as a durable, competently run enterprise - Solid, not Strong, and nowhere near Fortress-tier for a bank.
Verify before trusting this (6)
  • Tangible book value per share trajectory and AOCI drag from the securities portfolio
  • CRE and office-loan concentration, non-performing loan and net charge-off trends
  • CET1 ratio and regulatory capital cushion post-Category II designation
  • Deposit mix - noninterest-bearing share and cost of deposits trend
  • Fee income mix (payments, wealth, trust) as a share of total revenue and its growth rate
  • Payments segment (Elavon) competitive position given fintech disruption
Valuation / Mispricing
-63
Rich
edge √Σ 20 · risk √Σ 94 · conf 6/10
price $63.94 vs deserved ~$55-56, roughly 14-16% above fair - clearly rich, not egregiously so. attractive below $52.00

The e2e composite fair value lands at $56.24 and the signal-adjusted FV at $55.17, both anchored by an anchored-PE method that seems reasonable for a mature super-regional bank grinding back to mid-teens ROE. Against a $63.94 print and roughly $99.6B market cap, that implies about -14% upside; the market is paying a mid-teens premium to what a Solid-but-not-exceptional franchise deserves. Earnings quality is good, so no haircut is warranted, but the quality lens itself grades this a 38 - decent, not a franchise you overpay for. The bull case (fortress balance sheet, diversified fee streams, buyback-driven EPS) is largely in the price; the bear case (deposit pressure, digital disruption, regulatory drag) is not. There is no discernible gap to exploit here - deserved value roughly $55, price $64, so the buyer is funding future execution rather than buying a discount. For a bank with no standout economics still digesting Union Bank, that is an unattractive setup.

Cheap signals 1
m20
Earnings quality is clean
OCF exceeds net income and the earnings-quality signal is Good (score 1), so no haircut to deserved value - keeps FV at $55-56 rather than lower.
Rich / priced-in 3
m62
Composite FV ~14% below price
Signal-adjusted FV $55.17 and composite $56.24 both sit well under the $63.94 quote; anchored-PE agrees at $56.24, so the methods are not fighting each other.
m55
Premium unearned by franchise quality
Quality score of 38 (Solid, no standout economics) does not justify paying 16% above a reasonable earnings-based FV; peers with better ROEs often trade near or below their anchored-PE.
m45
Bull case largely priced in
The steady-compounder narrative (mid-teens ROE, diversified fees, buybacks) is what supports today's multiple; deposit-flight and NII normalization risks in the bear case are not discounted.
Not interested here. The math is straightforward: I get to about $55-56 of deserved value on a decent-but-unremarkable super-regional, and the tape is asking $64. That is a 14-16% overpay for a business that is Solid, not special. I would want it in the low $50s - meaningfully below the composite FV - before the risk/reward tilts my way. Fully valued at best, mildly rich in reality.
Verify before trusting this (4)
  • NIM trajectory and deposit beta in next quarterly guidance
  • Union Bank integration cost run-off and normalized efficiency ratio
  • Buyback pace and CET1 headroom under Basel III endgame proposals
  • Any one-time charges or securities-loss repositioning distorting anchored EPS
General Sentiment
+30
Tailwind
tail √Σ 70 · head √Σ 39 · conf 6/10

USB is a beta-0.98 regional bank sitting in a benign risk-on tape (VIX 14.9, S&P at highs). That regime is mildly supportive for banks broadly, and USB specifically just got tagged in an IBD-style 'new highs, near buy points' piece alongside BAC and PNC - the kind of technical/momentum sentiment cue that pulls trend-followers in without requiring a story. Narrative intensity is explicitly minimal and cult coefficient is low, so there is no euphoric bid to fade nor a broken story to punish. Momentum reads strong_positive. Macro cross-currents are mixed: 10y at 4.69% with a positive curve (0.44) is a reasonable NIM backdrop, but a market PE of 26 is a background valuation headwind for all equities. Because USB is a steady-compounder archetype with moderate durability and no active thematic pressure (no AI-disruption overhang, no credit-crisis narrative pressing regionals right now), the macro headwind lands lightly. Net: a modest, unglamorous tailwind driven by tape + technical sentiment, not story.

Tailwinds 3
m45
Risk-on tape at index highs
VIX under 15 and S&P at highs is a supportive backdrop for a near-market-beta regional bank; no risk-off mark-down pressure to fight.
m40
'New highs, near buy point' technical tag
Being grouped with BAC and PNC in a breakout-watch piece is a real, if small, sentiment cue that attracts momentum and trend money into USB specifically.
m35
Bank narrative quietly constructive
Deposit-flight fears have faded and the curve is positive; regionals are no longer the story stocks are running from, which lets USB drift higher on flow rather than fight a bear thesis.
Headwinds 2
m30
Low narrative intensity caps upside
Minimal intensity and low cult mean there is no story premium to expand; USB cannot ride a thematic bid the way an AI or GLP-1 name can, so sentiment lift is bounded.
m25
High market PE and 4.69% 10y as ambient drag
A 26 PE tape and elevated long rates are a mild background headwind for all equities; on a 0.98-beta name it neither amplifies nor mutes, just clips the ceiling.
Net tailwind, but a mild one. This is not a stock the tape is pressing hard in either direction - the narrative is quiet, the archetype is boring, and beta is roughly market. What is actually pushing USB right now is a calm risk-on backdrop plus a fresh breakout/new-highs technical tag that pulls in momentum flow. There is no story to defend and no story to fade, so sentiment pressure is modest and directionally positive. I would not size a trade off this lens alone; it is a green light, not a shove.
Verify before trusting this (4)
  • Whether the 'new highs' technical setup holds or fails - a failed breakout would flip short-term sentiment
  • Any shift in regional-bank narrative (credit stress at a peer, CRE headlines) that could re-tar the whole cohort
  • Analyst target revisions post next print - a cluster of upgrades would harden the tailwind
  • 10y direction: a sharp drop revives NIM-compression fears, a spike revives deposit-cost fears
The market-wide tape + this name's exposure to it (beta / sector / narrative durability). Context on the non-fundamental pressure — not a call on the business or the price. processId: detail-general-sentiment
Growth Outlook
not run

This lens hasn't been run for this ticker yet.

The forward growth verdict — is the business itself likely to grow (next 2 quarters / year 1 / years 2–3), judged against its category and against printed expectations. The full horizon ladder + creme renders on the Growth Outlook card above. Not a call on the price (Valuation owns that) or the tape (Sentiment owns that).
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Lenses kept deliberately separate — Company Quality (price-agnostic), Valuation (price-conditional), General Sentiment (non-fundamental macro/narrative pressure), and Growth Outlook (the forward growth verdict). The scores are not blended. Filing-level items (convertibles, lock-ups, customer concentration) are v2 — see each lens's "verify."
Price Prediction
About flat -4.6% v0.6.0 View full prediction →

When we made this prediction on Aug 9, 2026, USB was $63.94. We expect it to be $61.00 by Feb 2027, and we consider it great value under $52.00. This is an early model (v0.6.0) — the direction is more reliable than the exact price. Made Aug 9, 2026.

Price when predicted$63.94
Our estimate for Feb 2027$61.00-4.6%
Great value below$52.00
Price history shown (6 Months)

Blue is our prediction, starting the day we made it. Grey is a slower route to the same place — the same destination, taking longer. Black is the actual price, so you can see how we are doing.

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My Notes personal — only you see this
v1.1.562 · 9b2927c4 · 2026-08-22 16:52:06