World Investment Advisors Purchases 21,282 Shares of Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

World Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 22.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 117,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,282 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $10,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WFC. Diversified Trust Co. lifted its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 59.7% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 35,285 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,289,000 after buying an additional 13,196 shares in the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $147,165,000. Guerra Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 38,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,222,000 after purchasing an additional 11,594 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1,121.0% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 24,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,018,000 after purchasing an additional 22,107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 52.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 138,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,639,000 after purchasing an additional 47,946 shares during the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Wells Fargo & Company

In related news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 169,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. This represents a 26.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This trade represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. 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 worth $10,050,000. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WFC. Truist Financial lowered their price objective 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. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. HSBC upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $94.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. KGI Securities lowered shares of Wells Fargo & Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $97.53.

Key Headlines Impacting Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Phillip Securities upgraded Wells Fargo to Buy and set a $98 price target, reinforcing the view that the shares still have meaningful upside after a recent pullback. Wells Fargo (WFC) Upgraded to ‘Buy’ with $98 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Another recent piece argued Wells Fargo could be set for roughly 16% upside, reflecting improving sentiment around the bank’s valuation after the selloff. Wells Fargo Set for 16% Upside Despite Recent Selloff
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s own analysts also remained active in other markets, with coverage on Nvidia and crypto ETF positioning, which may have kept the firm in the news but is not directly tied to WFC’s fundamentals. Top Wells Fargo Analyst Lifts Nvidia Stock Price Target Ahead of Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo also disclosed a larger first-quarter stake in Ether ETFs and a bigger position in Strategy, signaling continued interest in digital assets, but this is more of a portfolio update than a direct stock catalyst. Wells Fargo lifts Ether ETF holdings in Q1 as Bitcoin positions shift
• Negative Sentiment: The broader financial sector fell on Wednesday, with the NYSE Financial Index down 0.8%, which may have pressured Wells Fargo shares as part of an industry-wide move lower. Sector Update: Financial Stocks Fall Wednesday

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of WFC opened at $73.52 on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $71.89 and a 52 week high of $97.76. The firm has a market cap of $224.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $79.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.02. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.26% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The business had revenue of $11.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.39 EPS. Wells Fargo & Company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 27.78%.

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.