Merit Financial Group LLC Reduces Stock Position in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Posted by Paula Ricardo on Aug 17th, 2026

Merit Financial Group LLC cut its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 18.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 137,030 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 31,696 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $11,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WFC. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of WFC opened at $88.74 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $268.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.90, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1-year low of $72.78 and a 1-year high of $97.76. The company has a 50-day moving average of $85.73 and a 200 day moving average of $83.06.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.23. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.55% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The business had revenue of $22.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.86 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.60 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 7.26 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Wells Fargo & Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.07%.

Key Wells Fargo & Company News

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

Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo declared quarterly cash dividends on six series of preferred stock. The announcement provides clarity for income-focused investors and signals that the bank continues to support its preferred-capital structure. Wells Fargo & Company Declares Cash Dividends on Preferred Stock
Positive Sentiment: Recent analysis suggests WFC could be about 10% undervalued despite strong gains over the past three months, supporting the view that valuation may still leave room for additional appreciation. Wells Fargo Could Be 10% Undervalued After Preferred Dividend Declaration
Positive Sentiment: Investors have been rotating from weaker-performing artificial-intelligence stocks into financials, creating a favorable sector backdrop for Wells Fargo and other banks. Risk-On Momentum in Bank Stocks Echoes Aftermath of Dot-Com Bust
Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s latest earnings exceeded expectations, with $1.96 in earnings per share and $22.62 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 8.6% year over year. Analysts continue to focus on potential net-interest-income growth, asset-cap removal and increased capital returns. WFC Stock Gains 20.5% in 3 Months: Buy, Hold or Sell the Stock Now?
Neutral Sentiment: The bank is expanding its post-asset-cap strategy through tokenized deposits for corporate clients and new long-term debt and depositary-share offerings. The initiatives could improve payment capabilities and investment capacity, but their financial impact remains uncertain. Is Wells Fargo’s Tokenized Deposit Push Reshaping Its Post-Cap Investment Story?
Negative Sentiment: After a roughly 20% three-month advance, valuation and profit-taking risks could limit near-term upside, making investors more sensitive to execution on growth and regulatory milestones. Why Is Wells Fargo Up Since Last Earnings Report?

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WFC shares. Truist Financial raised their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wells Fargo & Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.61.

View Our Latest Report on Wells Fargo & Company

About Wells Fargo & Company

(Free Report)

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.