Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Acquires 42,247 Shares of Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings increased its Wells Fargo stake by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 42,247 shares and bringing its total holdings to 551,206 shares valued at about $51.4 million.
• Wells Fargo reported Q1 earnings of $1.60 per share, edging past estimates, while revenue rose 6.4% year over year; analysts now expect full-year EPS of 6.82.
• The bank also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share and has seen mixed insider activity, with executives selling 115,000 shares over the past 90 days.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 551,206 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 42,247 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company makes up about 0.7% of Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $51,372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Diversified Trust Co. raised its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 59.7% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 35,285 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,289,000 after acquiring an additional 13,196 shares during the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $147,165,000. Guerra Advisors Inc boosted its stake in 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 valued at $3,222,000 after purchasing an additional 11,594 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1,121.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 52.7% in 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 in the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total transaction of $2,613,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 83,478 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,270,933.80. The trade was a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. The trade was a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

NYSE:WFC opened at $75.57 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.11. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52-week low of $71.89 and a 52-week high of $97.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.96.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.02. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 17.26%.The firm had revenue of $11.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.39 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 27.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WFC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Phillip Securities raised Wells Fargo & Company from a "moderate buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Friday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $91.00 to $86.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $85.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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 & Company (WFC) from “moderate buy” to “strong-buy,” reinforcing the view that the bank’s turnaround and earnings strength still have room to run.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary noted that Wells Fargo’s comeback looks real, supported by accelerating loan growth, rising shareholder returns, and stronger customer activity, which could help sustain investor confidence. Wells Fargo’s Comeback Is Real—But Not Risk-Free
• Positive Sentiment: Additional article coverage framed WFC as a potentially attractive dividend stock, which may appeal to income-focused investors looking for a large-cap financial name with improving fundamentals. Wells Fargo (WFC) Could Be a Great Choice
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also heavy put option activity in Wells Fargo, with traders buying 82,048 puts versus a typical volume of 59,215, suggesting some hedging or bearish positioning despite the recent positive coverage.
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, Wells Fargo has been active on the research side across other stocks, including a downgrade of Nike and higher price targets on Arm Holdings, but those calls are not direct catalysts for WFC shares.

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.

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