Davis Selected Advisers Buys 471,979 Shares of Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Davis Selected Advisers raised its stake in Wells Fargo by 6.1%, buying 471,979 shares to hold 8,258,031 shares worth about $769.65 million, representing roughly 3.5% of the firm's portfolio (≈0.26% of WFC outstanding).
• Company insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 115,000 shares in the last three months — including EVP Kleber Santos (25,000 shares) and EVP Bridget E. Engle (30,000 shares) — leaving insiders with about 0.14% ownership.
• Wells Fargo carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $97.53, and it pays a quarterly dividend of $0.45 (annualized yield ~2.2%) with an ex-dividend date of May 8.

Davis Selected Advisers grew its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,258,031 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 471,979 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company accounts for about 3.5% of Davis Selected Advisers' investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Davis Selected Advisers owned about 0.26% of Wells Fargo & Company worth $769,649,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WFC. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 79,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,006,722.72. The trade was a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total transaction of $2,613,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000 over the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WFC. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Argus raised their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $109.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Friday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wells Fargo & Company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.53.

Wells Fargo & Company News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Shareholders approved the board slate, executive pay and the auditor at the April 28 annual meeting, reducing governance uncertainty that has weighed on WFC in prior years. Wells Fargo Shareholders Back Board, Pay and Auditor
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo is partnering with Mastercard to improve B2B card payments — a strategic product initiative that could help grow fee income and commercial card penetration over time. Mastercard and Wells Fargo Target the Friction Slowing B2B Cards
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo analysts remain active on other names (e.g., reiterating a Buy on Hinge Health), a sign the bank’s research franchise is operating normally but with limited direct impact on WFC’s share price. Analyst Reiterates Buy on Hinge Health
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s research has influenced other coverage (for example, an upgrade at OGE noted Wells Fargo’s inputs) — informative for reputation but not a direct stock driver for WFC. OGE Stock Raised To $47 As Analysts See New Momentum Building
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target on WFC from $91 to $86.50 and moved to a "neutral" rating — an analyst downgrade/call that can pressure the stock by reducing upside expectations and prompting some investors to trim positions. JPMorgan Lowers Price Target on Wells Fargo
• Negative Sentiment: Media narratives question whether large banks will lose ground to fintech — a thematic risk that can weigh on valuation multiples for incumbents like WFC if investors rotate into fintech growth stories. Should You Forget Big Banks and Bet on Fintech Instead?
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing concerns about banks’ exposure to private credit are front‑and‑center; any material exposure or stress in that sector could create credit‑loss risk for WFC and keep sentiment muted. Here's How Much Exposure JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup Have to Private Credit
• Negative Sentiment: WFC’s CEO offered a blunt take on the U.S. economy in recent comments, which may reinforce cautious investor views on loan growth and credit quality if macro concerns persist. Wells Fargo CEO puts blunt label on U.S. economy

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE WFC opened at $80.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a fifty day moving average of $80.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $86.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $247.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.48, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.96. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $71.89 and a 52 week high of $97.76.

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. The company had revenue of $11.62 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. On average, 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 disclosed 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. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. 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.

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