Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $98.1250.

WFC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, HSBC raised Wells Fargo & Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $94.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday.

Wells Fargo & Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded WFC to a “Buy,” giving the stock direct analyst support that can attract inflows and counterbalance negative headlines. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo research continues to move markets — the firm trimmed price targets on Fiserv and Meta and initiated coverage on other names, signaling active trading/research revenue but also a cautious view on sector valuations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target on Meta ahead of earnings — a signal of near-term caution from its equities desk rather than a direct impact on WFC fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks flagged heightened investor attention on WFC, which can amplify price moves as traders react to news and analyst notes. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s coverage expansion (example: initiating coverage on CACI) underscores its investment-banking/research activity, which is a modest positive for fee-related revenue but not an immediate driver of WFC share moves. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Charlie Scharf warned simply “Reasons to worry” about the economy, injecting executive-level caution that can pressure bank shares sensitive to macro and credit-cycle concerns. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s markets head (Kwon) warned of continued volatility and an unfavorable backdrop over coming months, a comment that highlights downside risk to trading and capital markets revenue. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target on WFC to $100, a formal analyst downgrade that can cap upside and influence investor sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Broader macro stress from the ongoing Middle East conflict continues to sap risk appetite, lift oil and bond volatility, and raise recession/loan-loss fears that typically weigh on bank equities. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Wells Fargo & Company

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the business’s 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 in the company, valued at approximately $7,270,933.80. The trade was a 26.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total transaction of $5,244,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. This trade represents a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wells Fargo & Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WFC. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,512,563,000. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 18.6% in the third 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 buying an additional 5,584,930 shares in the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 177.7% during the 4th quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 4,876,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $454,455,000 after buying an additional 3,120,399 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $215,638,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 20,625,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,922,257,000 after buying an additional 2,369,260 shares in the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:WFC opened at $80.75 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $249.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.06. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $83.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.20. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12-month low of $58.42 and a 12-month high of $97.76.

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, topping 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 firm had revenue of $21.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.63 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.71%.

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.