Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases 11,116 Shares of Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 168,473 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,116 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $15,702,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 62.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 66,233 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,652,000 after acquiring an additional 25,436 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 12.9% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 22,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,835,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 111.0% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 14,008 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 7,368 shares during the period. Vivaldi Capital Management LP grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 5.4% in the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 3,229 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 51.2% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 25,718 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,044,000 after purchasing an additional 8,714 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,270,933.80. This represents a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at $7,006,722.72. This represents a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE WFC opened at $81.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $250.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $82.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $86.13. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12-month low of $63.40 and a 12-month high of $97.76.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last released its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $21.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.85 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 17.26%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Wells Fargo & Company’s payout ratio is currently 27.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $96.00 price target on the stock. 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. 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 report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Freedom Capital cut shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.75.

Key Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management is emphasizing cost discipline (continued headcount reductions) and growth initiatives that can lift margins over time — a constructive signal for eventual EPS recovery. Wells Fargo CEO talks layoffs amid growth
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentators (e.g., Jim Cramer) have suggested WFC may be bottoming after the selloff, which can attract bargain hunters and short‑covering. Jim Cramer on Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary highlights that digital engagement is strengthening deposit gathering across big banks (including Wells Fargo), supporting core deposit funding and cross‑sell opportunities. Big Bank Earnings Show Digital Activity Drives Deposits
• Neutral Sentiment: Technically, WFC recently broke below its 50‑day moving average — a short‑term bearish signal for momentum traders but one that often triggers dip‑buyers. Wells Fargo broke below 50‑day MA
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s own strategists flagged a near‑term “sugar high” for the S&P 500 — useful context for macro‑driven flows into/out of bank stocks but not a direct company catalyst. Prepare for an S&P 500 ‘Sugar High,’ Says Wells Fargo
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 results disappointed on revenue and net interest income (NII) vs. Street expectations; management warned margin pressure could extend into Q2 — the primary reason for the initial selloff. Shares drop after Q1 revenue miss
• Negative Sentiment: Several brokerages cut price targets and trimmed forecasts after the print, signaling analyst skepticism about how quickly ROTCE/profitability targets will be met — a headwind for sentiment. Three price target cuts after Q1

Wells Fargo & 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.