Wells Fargo & Company $WFC Shares Acquired by Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 26.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 58,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,479 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $5,051,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WFC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $96.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Freedom Capital downgraded Wells Fargo & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $97.03.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 0.1%

WFC stock opened at $82.50 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $254.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.08.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.10. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The firm had revenue of $21.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.63 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. Wells Fargo & Company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total value of $5,244,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. This represents a 26.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total value of $2,613,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at $7,270,933.80. The trade was a 26.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised WFC to Neutral (Feb. 13) with an $85 price target, saying the recent slump has made valuation more realistic and reduced near-term downside risk — a constructive analyst reset that can stabilize the stock. Baird Sees Reduced Downside Risk for Wells Fargo & Company (WFC), Rating Raised to Neutral
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo strategist Ohsung Kwon recommended “buy the dip” during the global selloff commentary, signaling the bank’s trading desk views current weakness as a buying opportunity — supports short-term demand. Stocks plunge in global selloff but some on Wall Street are looking for assets that respond well to war
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks piece reviews Wells Fargo as a potential high-growth dividend stock, which may attract income-oriented investors but does not alter fundamentals immediately. Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo made a $200,000 grant to the Idaho FFA Foundation — a small but positive PR item that’s unlikely to move the stock materially. Idaho FFA Foundation Receives $200,000 From Wells Fargo Supporting Grants for Idaho FFA Members
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s research desk remains active (eg. calling Zscaler a buy, adjusting targets on financials), which shows revenue-generating analyst activity but is peripheral to WFC’s bank fundamentals. Wells Fargo Calls Zscaler (ZS) Stock a Buy Near 52-Week Lows
• Negative Sentiment: Credit-risk scrutiny has resurfaced after a UK mortgage lender collapse; investors are re-checking Wells Fargo’s exposure and underwriting controls — a headline risk that can pressure bank stocks on fear of contagion. Wells Fargo Credit Risk Questioned After UK Mortgage Lender Collapse
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues that macro risks leave WFC with limited appeal for long-term investors, highlighting concerns about rates, loan growth and economic headwinds that could weigh on multiples. Wells Fargo: Not Much Appeal For Long-Term Investors Due To Macro Concerns

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.