Greenwood Gearhart Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Greenwood Gearhart Inc. increased its Wells Fargo stake by 226.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 39,939 shares valued at about $3.72 million.
• Wells Fargo reported Q1 earnings of $1.60 per share, edging past estimates, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share payable June 1, for an annualized yield of about 2.4%.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive: recent ratings included buy upgrades and a consensus Moderate Buy with an average price target of $97.53, even though the stock was down 4.5% and insiders have recently sold shares.

Greenwood Gearhart Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 226.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,939 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 27,700 shares during the period. Greenwood Gearhart Inc.'s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $3,722,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 35,660,903 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,989,104,000 after buying an additional 5,584,930 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 21,009,237 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,760,994,000 after purchasing an additional 399,088 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,859,680 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,496,998,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223,999 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,128,470 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $763,675,000 after purchasing an additional 174,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis Selected Advisers lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 8,258,031 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $769,649,000 after purchasing an additional 471,979 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about 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 Stock Down 4.5%

Shares of WFC opened at $75.57 on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52-week low of $71.89 and a 52-week high of $97.76. The company has a market capitalization of $231.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $11.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.39 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WFC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $91.00 to $86.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $94.00 price objective (down from $100.00) on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Wells Fargo & Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $94.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total transaction of $5,244,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. This trade represents a 26.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total value of $2,193,000.00. Following the sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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