HSBC Upgrades Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) to “Buy”

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) was upgraded by investment analysts at HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a $94.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock. HSBC’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 16.41% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird raised Wells Fargo & Company from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $99.00 to $99.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.13.

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WFC opened at $80.75 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.17. 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 company has a market cap of $249.17 billion, a PE ratio of 12.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.06.

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

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 dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total value of $2,613,000.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Wells Fargo & Company

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lane Brothers & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter valued at $893,000. ARP Global Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth about $9,066,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,044,000. Finally, Advisortrust Partners LLC acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $981,000. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded WFC from “hold” to “buy” with a $94 price target, giving the stock a near-term positive catalyst and supporting the rally. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes rising investor attention in WFC (analysis/flow of interest rather than new fundamental news); this can amplify moves but is not a direct fundamental catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo analysts trimmed coverage/price targets on other large names (Fiserv, Meta) this week—a sign the firm’s research desks are re‑calibrating multiples across sectors rather than issuing bank‑specific downgrades; this creates mixed headline flow for investors tracking analyst activity. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target on WFC to $100 — a downward revision that injects some selling pressure and offsets part of the HSBC-driven buying. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s own equity team lowered its year‑end S&P 500 target and its strategist Ohsung Kwon warned markets will remain volatile in coming months—comments that strengthen a risk‑off backdrop and can cap upside for bank stocks broadly. Article Title Article Title

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.