Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stake in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 964,460 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,639 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company accounts for approximately 1.4% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $89,888,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 2nd quarter worth $3,990,551,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 35,660,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,989,104,000 after purchasing an additional 5,584,930 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $215,638,000. M&G PLC increased its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 320.3% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 2,946,277 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $247,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245,307 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 18.2% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 14,155,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,165,868,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180,693 shares during the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $109.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.82.

Insider Activity at Wells Fargo & Company

In related news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total transaction of $2,613,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,270,933.80. This represents a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of WFC opened at $80.24 on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $58.42 and a 52 week high of $97.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of $247.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.80, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $84.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.28.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.10. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 17.27%.The company had revenue of $21.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.63 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. Wells Fargo & Company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company’s payout ratio is 28.71%.

Key Stories Impacting Wells Fargo & Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Wells Fargo & Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect solid Q1 results and double‑digit profit growth heading into earnings season, supporting confidence that Wells Fargo can sustain earnings momentum. Wells Fargo’s Q1 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Active options/trading ideas tied to WFC (example: a covered‑put/put‑selling trade pitched by analysts) signal investor income strategies and can mechanically support the share price by encouraging buy/hold positions. Wells Fargo Trade Idea
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s $2.25M grant to the ICA Fund under its Open for Business Growth initiative is a modest positive for reputation and community lending visibility, which can help local deposit/growth narratives. ICA Fund Announces $2.25 Million in New Funding
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo research activity remains high (example: a raised price target on Cheniere Energy) — shows the firm’s capital‑markets/research presence but has limited direct impact on WFC’s fundamentals. Wells Fargo Research on Cheniere Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market/commentary from Wells Fargo economists (e.g., commentary on weak 2‑year auctions and “bunker mentality”) influences rate expectations and bank net interest margin outlooks but is not an immediate WFC‑specific catalyst. Wells Fargo Economist on Two‑Year Note Auction
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Charlie Scharf warned of potential credit losses as private‑credit strains (withdrawal restrictions) create spillover risk — a direct investor concern because higher credit losses would pressure provisions and profitability. CEO Warns of Credit Losses
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment has softened in places: selective price‑target trims and lowered expectations from firms such as Truist and reports noting reduced Street expectations introduce downside risk to near‑term sentiment. Analyst Revisions and Investor Guidance Goldman Lowers Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Industry reporting on banks’ exposure to private‑credit stress highlights structural risk that could lead to higher provisions or slower fee growth if the private‑credit dislocation deepens. WSJ: Private Credit Meltdown

Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified, U.S.-based financial services company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852 by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo, the firm has evolved from its origins in express delivery and pioneer-era banking into one of the largest full-service banks in the United States. The company provides a broad range of financial products and services to individual, small business, commercial, and institutional clients. Charles W. Scharf serves as chief executive officer.

Wells Fargo operates across several core business segments, including consumer banking and lending, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management.