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

Shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $97.0263.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus increased their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $109.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $99.00 to $99.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wells Fargo & Company

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 169,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. This trade represents a 26.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 value of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. The trade was a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 valued at $10,050,000. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Wells Fargo & Company

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 75.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fed ends the 2018 enforcement order, removing a decade‑long regulatory constraint and reputational overhang that had limited management flexibility on capital returns and growth initiatives — a material structural positive for WFC going forward. Wells Fargo shakes off last Fed consent order Wells Fargo fully sheds Fed’s 2018 enforcement order
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets confirm the termination (MSN, Seeking Alpha, TMCNet), providing wide coverage but little immediate financial detail; this is a catalytic governance/regulatory development whose full capital‑allocation benefits will show up over quarters. Seeking Alpha: Fed board ends 2018 enforcement action
• Negative Sentiment: Shares slipped amid a broader market selloff tied to escalating conflict in the Middle East and higher mortgage rates (which can hurt mortgage origination volumes and bank trading sentiment); that risk‑off tone is the main reason WFC moved lower today despite the regulatory win. Yahoo Finance Market Minute: Mortgage rates tick up, Fed lifts 2018 enforcement on Wells Fargo
• Negative Sentiment: Political and crypto‑industry headlines calling out banks (social media/pundit commentary) create noise that can exacerbate short‑term sentiment swings, though they are unlikely to change fundamentals. Eric Trump attacks banks over stablecoin yields

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 2.2%

NYSE:WFC opened at $82.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $253.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.08. Wells Fargo & Company has a twelve month low of $58.42 and a twelve 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.51.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $21.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.63 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. 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. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 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.