Dodge & Cox Has $3.26 Billion Holdings in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Dodge & Cox cut its Wells Fargo stake by 23.4% to 38,887,925 shares—worth about $3.26 billion—making WFC its 20th largest holding (≈1.8% of the firm's portfolio) and representing 1.24% ownership of WFC.
• Institutional and insider activity: roughly 75.9% of WFC is held by hedge funds/institutions, and insiders sold about 115,000 shares (≈$10.05M) in the last 90 days.
• Fundamentals and outlook: Wells Fargo beat EPS ($1.76 vs. $1.66) but missed revenue, the stock has traded lower recently and yields 2.4% from a $0.45 quarterly dividend, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a $97.03 target.

Dodge & Cox decreased its position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 23.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 38,887,925 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 11,857,936 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company comprises about 1.8% of Dodge & Cox's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Dodge & Cox owned 1.24% of Wells Fargo & Company worth $3,259,586,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFC. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter worth $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in 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 period. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Aventus Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wells Fargo & Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technically deeply oversold and analyst support could spark a relief bounce — MarketBeat notes WFC is trading well below recent highs, its RSI is in oversold territory, and several outlets/analysts maintain Outperform/Buy ratings and high price targets that imply significant upside if sentiment stabilizes. Bargain Alert: Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs Look Deeply Oversold
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic optionality in digital assets — filings show Wells Fargo has applied for a WFUSD trademark covering stablecoins and blockchain payment services, signaling a possible future new revenue stream (still speculative and regulatory-dependent). Wells Fargo Submits WFUSD Trademark Application
• Neutral Sentiment: Active analyst research flow — Wells Fargo analysts continue to move ratings/targets across sectors (cuts on Aptiv, upgrades in chemicals, positive calls on travel and retail names). This shows robust research activity that can influence trading in other names but is not directly catalytic for WFC’s fundamentals. Wells Fargo Cuts Aptiv Price Target Wells Fargo Upgrades Chemical Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings, revenue and operational concerns remain — MarketBeat highlights that WFC missed revenue/earnings expectations in January, has a relatively high efficiency ratio vs. peers, and saw headline risk from reported exposure to the failed U.K. mortgage finance firm Market Financial Solutions; those issues help explain selling pressure and could limit near-term multiple expansion. Bargain Alert: Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs Look Deeply Oversold

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE WFC opened at $74.11 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $228.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.82, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $87.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $86.47. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $58.42 and a 52 week high of $97.76. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $21.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.63 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.71%.

Insider Activity at Wells Fargo & Company

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,813,950.40. This represents a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $7,270,933.80. This trade represents a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WFC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. HSBC reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $97.03.

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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