** Shares of U.S. Bancorp USB.N, the fifth-largest U.S. lender, rise 1.9% to $57.12

** Truist Securities upgrades USB to "buy" from "hold"; raises PT to $66 from $61, a 17.8% upside to stock's last close

** Brokerage says bank looks more squarely front-footed, having delivered growth in fees and nine quarters of stable expenses, as well as strong underlying loan/deposit growth rates in key verticals

** Expects interest income to accelerate throughout 2026 as loan pipelines materialize and fixed rate assets reprice

** "The environment looks constructive for USB's main fee-generating businesses and its guidance looks achievable, with further optionality provided by payments transformation, to the extent management's turnaround here is successful" - Truist

** 15 of 26 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, 10 "hold" and one "sell"; median PT is $63 - data compiled by LSEG

** As of last close, USB up 5% YTD

(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru)

((ArasuKannagi.Basil@thomsonreuters.com;))