Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on WFC. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Freedom Capital lowered Wells Fargo & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, HSBC restated a “hold” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Wells Fargo & Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.98.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $78.90 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $243.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.08. Wells Fargo & Company has a one year low of $58.42 and a one year high of $97.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $84.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 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 analyst estimates of $21.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wells Fargo & Company

In other news, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,270,933.80. The trade was a 26.44% 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 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000 over the last quarter. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wells Fargo & Company

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Wells Fargo & Company

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

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.