Factory Mutual Insurance Co. Trims Stock Holdings in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Factory Mutual Insurance Co. reduced its position in Wells Fargo by 2.4% in Q4, selling 16,700 shares and holding 689,364 shares valued at $64.25 million.
• Wells Fargo beat Q4 EPS expectations with $1.76 per share (vs. $1.66 consensus) on $21.29 billion of revenue and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.45 (annualized $1.80, ~2.1% yield).
• Insiders sold 115,000 shares (~$10.05M) in the last three months, institutional investors own 75.9% of the stock, and analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target of $97.70.

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. decreased its position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 689,364 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 16,700 shares during the period. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.'s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $64,249,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFC. Hilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,656,000. Diversified Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $3,289,000 after buying an additional 13,196 shares during the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $147,165,000. Guerra Advisors Inc raised 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 valued at $3,222,000 after buying an additional 11,594 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised 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 valued at $2,018,000 after buying an additional 22,107 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

Shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $85.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. Wells Fargo & Company has a twelve month low of $59.65 and a twelve month high of $97.76. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $83.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.19. The firm has a market cap of $263.62 billion, a PE ratio of 13.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.06.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.10. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 17.27%.The company had revenue of $21.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. Wells Fargo & Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company's payout ratio is presently 28.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total value of $2,613,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,270,933.80. The trade was a 26.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total value of $5,244,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, 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

WFC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial cut their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.70.

Key Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts have nudged Q1 earnings/revenue estimates higher and highlighted incremental strength ahead of the April 14 report; management changes (new head of Business Banking) are being viewed as constructive. Wells Fargo Likely To Report Higher Q1 Earnings; These Most Accurate Analysts Revise Forecasts Ahead Of Earnings Call
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market relief after a temporary ceasefire in the Middle East pushed oil prices lower and lifted bank stocks, giving Wells Fargo a short-term boost ahead of earnings. Wells Fargo (WFC) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings previews expect solid revenue and EPS growth but flag mortgage volume/margin weakness and higher credit costs as offsets — this creates binary risk: beat could lift the shares, a miss or weak guidance could pressure them. Wells Fargo Q1 Earnings on the Deck: What's in Store for the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Deeper previews examine key metrics beyond headline EPS — look for details on net interest margin, mortgage pipelines, trading revenue and loan-loss provisioning for clearer direction. Countdown to Wells Fargo (WFC) Q1 Earnings: Wall Street Forecasts for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector-wide previews (JPM, C, WFC) suggest banks could benefit from easing macro oil/geo fears, but risks to asset quality and rising costs remain a moderating factor. What Can Investors Expect from Bank Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target on WFC (flagging bank-sector volatility and risks), which can amplify downside if Wells Fargo misses or issues cautious guidance. JPMorgan Trims Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) Target, Flags Volatility Risks for Banks
• Negative Sentiment: Separate reports note pessimistic near-term forecasts for WFC from some sell-side commentary — negative headlines or analyst downgrades ahead of earnings could pressure the share price. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Wells Fargo & Company NYSE: WFC Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Despite occasional daily gains, Wells Fargo has recently underperformed peers — an underperformance trend can weigh on sentiment if earnings don’t show clear improvement. Wells Fargo & Co. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors despite daily gains

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.

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