Gabelli Funds LLC Decreases Position in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its stake by 15.4% in Wells Fargo during Q3, selling 115,605 shares and now owning 634,594 shares valued at about $53.19 million.
• Company insiders sold 115,000 shares over the last three months (including EVP Ellen R. Patterson's 60,000 and Kleber Santos's 25,000), totaling roughly $10.05 million in sales and leaving insiders with about 0.08% ownership.
• Wells Fargo beat EPS estimates for the quarter ($1.76 vs. $1.66), declared a $0.45 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.80, ~2.2% yield), and holds an average analyst rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $97.03.

Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 634,594 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 115,605 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $53,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Aventus Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. 75.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. This trade represents a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total value of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 79,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This represents a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Down 2.0%

WFC opened at $80.44 on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12-month low of $58.42 and a 12-month high of $97.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $248.21 billion, a PE ratio of 12.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.08. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $89.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.54.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $21.29 billion during 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WFC shares. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Friday. HSBC reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $109.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. CICC Research began coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $96.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.03.

More Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Federal Reserve ends its 2018 enforcement action related to the fake‑accounts scandal, removing a long‑running regulatory overhang that could free Wells Fargo to accelerate capital returns and strategic initiatives. Wells Fargo's 2018 Enforcement Action Terminated by the Federal Reserve
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo added a $1.7 billion UBS advisor team to its independent wealth channel, boosting AUM and fee revenue growth potential in wealth management. Wells Fargo Recruits $1.7 Billion UBS Financial Advisor Team
• Positive Sentiment: Several outlets highlight Wells Fargo as a steady dividend payer and draw for income investors, which supports a valuation floor amid volatility. Set It and Forget It: The Dividend Stocks Worth Holding for the Rest of Your Life
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo published its 2027 quarterly earnings release schedule (administrative item); useful for investors tracking upcoming results and guidance windows. Wells Fargo Announces 2027 Earnings Release Date Information
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed-to-supportive (average "Moderate Buy"), and WFC has attracted recent investor attention in screeners — signals that the stock remains on institutional radars. Wells Fargo & Company NYSE: WFC Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and sector pressure: banks were broadly sold after a disappointing U.S. jobs report and oil price volatility tied to the Middle East, weighing on WFC alongside peers. Investors Dump Bank, Brokerage Stocks As Oil Spikes and Jobs Report Disappoints
• Negative Sentiment: Negative headlines and opinion pieces arguing there are reasons to avoid WFC may drive short‑term selling or caution among retail investors despite the regulatory clearance. 3 Reasons to Avoid WFC and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

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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