Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.
WFC has been the subject of a number of other reports. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $96.00 price target for the company. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $109.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.98.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Wells Fargo & Company
Wells Fargo & Company Trading Down 1.7%
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 17.27%.The company had revenue of $21.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior 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 Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company’s payout ratio is currently 28.71%.
Insider Activity
In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total transaction of $2,613,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at $7,270,933.80. This trade represents a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was 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 directly owned 79,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,006,722.72. This represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 75.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wells Fargo & Company News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Wells Fargo & Company this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Jefferies initiated coverage of WFC with a Buy rating and $100 price target — adds fresh institutional support and a visible upside case that can help the stock. Jefferies initiates coverage of Wells Fargo (WFC) with buy recommendation
- Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo announced major digital milestones — Fargo® virtual assistant surpassed 1 billion interactions and mobile active users topped 33M, supporting cost savings, cross‑sell scale and fee/transactions growth over time. Wells Fargo Reaches Major Digital Milestones
- Neutral Sentiment: Consumer product coverage: a review of the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card highlights competitive features (unlimited 2% cash back, 0% intro APR) — incremental card adoption could modestly lift consumer revenues but is not a near‑term game changer. Wells Fargo Active Cash Card review
- Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo research called for much higher gold prices by year‑end — notable for markets exposure and trading desks, but this commodity view is indirect for bank fundamentals. Gold seen well above $6,000 by year-end despite recent struggles, Wells Fargo says
- Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo research continues to move other coverage (upgrades/price targets on names like Enterprise Products) — shows active capital markets/coverage but limited direct impact on WFC equity near term. Wells Fargo Upgrades Enterprise Products (EPD) to Overweight
- Neutral Sentiment: Options idea circulating: selling April puts at a ~7% discount is being discussed as an income trade — highlights yield strategies around the stock but also implies investors see limited near‑term downside beyond current levels. Wells Fargo Trade Idea: 7% Discount or 30% Annual Income?
- Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf warned of credit losses ahead as private credit firms restrict withdrawals — raises the risk of higher loan-loss provisions and pressure on near‑term earnings, which likely weighs on the stock today. Wells Fargo CEO warns of credit losses ahead as private credit firms restrict withdrawals
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.
Further Reading
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