Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Raises Position in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,479 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $5,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WFC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 0.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 302,092,955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,203,688,000 after buying an additional 1,341,222 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,990,551,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,859,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,496,998,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223,999 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 18.2% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 14,155,753 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,165,868,000 after acquiring an additional 2,180,693 shares during the period. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 8,469,766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $678,598,000 after acquiring an additional 88,358 shares during the period. 75.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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. HSBC reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Evercore lowered their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.03.

Trending Headlines about 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

Insider Transactions at Wells Fargo & Company

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the firm’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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. This represents a 26.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:WFC opened at $82.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $254.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.08. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12 month low of $58.42 and a 12 month 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 50-day moving average price of $90.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.56.

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

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

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

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.