Arvest Bank Trust Division Has $3.68 Million Stake in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Arvest Bank Trust Division boosted its Wells Fargo stake by 896.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 39,517 shares valued at about $3.68 million.
• Institutional ownership in Wells Fargo remains high, with 75.9% of shares held by institutions and hedge funds. Other large investors also added to or initiated positions during the period.
• Wells Fargo continues to face a mix of positives and negatives: analysts still rate it Moderate Buy with a $97.53 consensus target, but the stock is also dealing with insider selling and a reported $100 million settlement tied to a discrimination-related homebuyer case.

Arvest Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 896.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,517 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 35,553 shares during the period. Arvest Bank Trust Division's holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $3,683,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WFC. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 18.6% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 35,660,903 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,989,104,000 after buying an additional 5,584,930 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $215,638,000. M&G PLC raised its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 320.3% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 2,946,277 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $247,487,000 after buying an additional 2,245,307 shares in the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $173,651,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $147,165,000. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo is being highlighted by analysts as a potential top dividend stock, which may help support investor interest in the shares. Wells Fargo (WFC) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: The bank announced mortgage incentives for homes built with ICON’s 3D-printing technology, a small but notable move that could expand its presence in an emerging housing niche. Wells Fargo to offer mortgage incentives on 3D printed homes with Icon
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo and other major banks cleared a key regulatory review of their “living wills,” reducing near-term compliance concerns for the sector. JPM, WFC & Others Clear Key Regulatory Hurdle on Living Wills
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo also cut its price target on Meta Platforms, but kept a bullish long-term stance on AI, which is more relevant to Meta than to WFC itself. Wells Fargo revises Meta stock price target for rest of 2026
• Negative Sentiment: The biggest overhang is the reported $100 million settlement tied to helping struggling homebuyers after a discrimination lawsuit, which adds to Wells Fargo’s legal and reputational costs. Wells Fargo settlement will pay $100M to help struggling homebuyers in 51 cities — Is your community is on the list?

Insider Buying and Selling at Wells Fargo & Company

In related news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total value of $2,613,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at $7,270,933.80. The trade was a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 owned 169,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. The trade was a 26.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. KGI Securities cut shares of Wells Fargo & Company to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $94.00 price objective (down from $100.00) on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Truist Financial decreased 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $97.53.

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WFC opened at $77.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $237.47 billion, a PE ratio of 11.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.96. The firm's fifty day moving average is $79.02 and its 200-day moving average is $85.10. 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 has a 52 week low of $71.93 and a 52 week high of $97.76.

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

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Wells Fargo & Company's payout ratio is presently 27.78%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WFC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.