Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV Lowers Stake in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV decreased its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 48.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 18,980 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 18,072 shares during the period. Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $1,591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WFC. Hilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the second quarter worth approximately $3,656,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $147,165,000. Guerra Advisors Inc increased its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 43.2% during the third quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 38,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,222,000 after purchasing an additional 11,594 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 1,121.0% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 24,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,018,000 after purchasing an additional 22,107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 52.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 138,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,639,000 after purchasing an additional 47,946 shares during the period. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Wells Fargo & Company

In other news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total value of $2,613,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 83,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total value of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This trade represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WFC. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. HSBC reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Freedom Capital cut Wells Fargo & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $109.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded Wells Fargo & Company from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen investment 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.71.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

Shares of WFC stock opened at $76.11 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $86.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.37. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $58.42 and a 52 week high of $97.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company has a market cap of $234.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.08.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last posted its 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 net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The business had revenue of $21.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company’s payout ratio is currently 28.71%.

Key Stories Impacting Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo launched a nationwide Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge, committing $10 million in grants, technical assistance and mentorship to scalable housing solutions — a reputational and community-investment play that supports franchise goodwill and potential future lending/partnership opportunities. Wells Fargo Launches National Challenge to Uncover Innovative Housing Solutions (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s FiNet channel recruited advisory teams that bring roughly $1.2B in client assets, directly boosting fee revenue and AUM growth in its independent advisory distribution. Wells Fargo’s FiNet Recruits Advisory Teams from UBS, Commonwealth, and Stifel (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis pieces highlight Wells Fargo’s capital-return strategy and liquidity strength, suggesting the bank may be positioned to sustain dividends and buybacks — a constructive view for income-oriented investors. Is Wells Fargo Well-Positioned to Sustain Its Capital Return Strategy? (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo filed a trademark for “WFUSD,” hinting at a potential stablecoin initiative that could expand payments and digital-asset services; this is strategic upside but carries regulatory and execution risk. Wells Fargo WFUSD Stablecoin Filing Meets Weak Share Momentum And Valuation (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: The company designated a new Series GG preferred stock (announcement March 16), a capital-management tool that could be used to optimize funding; impact depends on whether and how much is issued. Wells Fargo Establishes New Series GG Preferred Stock (TipRanks)
• Neutral Sentiment: A former Wells Fargo executive is leading EOS Investors’ new hotel credit strategy — a reminder of talent mobility from the bank but with limited direct impact on WFC’s fundamentals. EOS Investors Launches Hotel Credit Strategy Led by Former Wells Fargo Executive (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Truist cut its WFC price target from $98 to $94 (while keeping a Buy), trimming upside and reflecting a slightly more cautious view that can pressure sentiment. Truist Lowers PT on Wells Fargo (Benzinga/StreetInsider)
• Negative Sentiment: Sector commentary notes bank stocks acting as a signal for private-credit stress; broader private-credit concerns and any spillovers could weigh on Wells Fargo’s valuation and risk premium. Bank Stocks Are the Canary in the Recession Coal Mine (Barron’s)

About Wells Fargo & Company

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.