AIA Group Ltd Buys 65,768 Shares of Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

AIA Group Ltd boosted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 83.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 144,457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 65,768 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $12,108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WFC. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. 75.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $76.11 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $234.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.08. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1 year low of $58.42 and a 1 year high of $97.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $86.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $86.37.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company’s payout ratio is presently 28.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WFC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Argus increased their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $109.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $96.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $99.00 to $99.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.71.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total transaction of $5,244,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,813,950.40. This represents a 26.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were 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 owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. The trade was a 23.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo launched a nationwide Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge, committing $10 million in grants, technical assistance and mentorship to scalable housing solutions — a reputational and community-investment play that supports franchise goodwill and potential future lending/partnership opportunities. Wells Fargo Launches National Challenge to Uncover Innovative Housing Solutions (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s FiNet channel recruited advisory teams that bring roughly $1.2B in client assets, directly boosting fee revenue and AUM growth in its independent advisory distribution. Wells Fargo’s FiNet Recruits Advisory Teams from UBS, Commonwealth, and Stifel (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis pieces highlight Wells Fargo’s capital-return strategy and liquidity strength, suggesting the bank may be positioned to sustain dividends and buybacks — a constructive view for income-oriented investors. Is Wells Fargo Well-Positioned to Sustain Its Capital Return Strategy? (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo filed a trademark for “WFUSD,” hinting at a potential stablecoin initiative that could expand payments and digital-asset services; this is strategic upside but carries regulatory and execution risk. Wells Fargo WFUSD Stablecoin Filing Meets Weak Share Momentum And Valuation (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: The company designated a new Series GG preferred stock (announcement March 16), a capital-management tool that could be used to optimize funding; impact depends on whether and how much is issued. Wells Fargo Establishes New Series GG Preferred Stock (TipRanks)
• Neutral Sentiment: A former Wells Fargo executive is leading EOS Investors’ new hotel credit strategy — a reminder of talent mobility from the bank but with limited direct impact on WFC’s fundamentals. EOS Investors Launches Hotel Credit Strategy Led by Former Wells Fargo Executive (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Truist cut its WFC price target from $98 to $94 (while keeping a Buy), trimming upside and reflecting a slightly more cautious view that can pressure sentiment. Truist Lowers PT on Wells Fargo (Benzinga/StreetInsider)
• Negative Sentiment: Sector commentary notes bank stocks acting as a signal for private-credit stress; broader private-credit concerns and any spillovers could weigh on Wells Fargo’s valuation and risk premium. Bank Stocks Are the Canary in the Recession Coal Mine (Barron’s)

Wells Fargo & Company 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.