Yacktman Asset Management LP Reduces Holdings in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Yacktman Asset Management LP decreased its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 18.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,319 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 23,693 shares during the quarter. Yacktman Asset Management LP’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $9,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WFC. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Phillip Securities upgraded Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) from “moderate buy” to “strong-buy,” reinforcing the view that the bank’s turnaround and earnings strength still have room to run.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary noted that Wells Fargo’s comeback looks real, supported by accelerating loan growth, rising shareholder returns, and stronger customer activity, which could help sustain investor confidence. Wells Fargo’s Comeback Is Real—But Not Risk-Free
• Positive Sentiment: Additional article coverage framed WFC as a potentially attractive dividend stock, which may appeal to income-focused investors looking for a large-cap financial name with improving fundamentals. Wells Fargo (WFC) Could Be a Great Choice
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also heavy put option activity in Wells Fargo, with traders buying 82,048 puts versus a typical volume of 59,215, suggesting some hedging or bearish positioning despite the recent positive coverage.
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, Wells Fargo has been active on the research side across other stocks, including a downgrade of Nike and higher price targets on Arm Holdings, but those calls are not direct catalysts for WFC shares.

Insider Transactions at Wells Fargo & Company

In other news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total value of $5,244,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 169,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. The trade was a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at $7,006,722.72. This trade represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WFC has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $91.00 to $86.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $113.00 to $108.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of Wells Fargo & Company from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wells Fargo & Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.53.

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

WFC stock opened at $75.57 on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company has a one year low of $71.89 and a one year high of $97.76. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $80.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $231.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.96.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.02. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.26% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The firm had revenue of $11.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company’s payout ratio is 27.78%.

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.