Hosking Partners LLP Sells 125,244 Shares of Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Hosking Partners LLP cut its Wells Fargo stake by 21% in the fourth quarter, selling 125,244 shares and leaving it with 470,878 shares valued at about $43.9 million.
• Wells Fargo’s latest quarterly results showed earnings beat expectations at $1.60 per share, though revenue came in below analyst estimates; the bank also lifted revenue 6.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but constructive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and average price target of $97.53, while the stock also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.45, or a 2.4% yield.

Hosking Partners LLP decreased its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 21.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 470,878 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 125,244 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company makes up 1.5% of Hosking Partners LLP's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Hosking Partners LLP's holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $43,886,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFC. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WFC. CICC Research began coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $96.00 target price on the stock. Freedom Capital lowered Wells Fargo & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. KGI Securities lowered Wells Fargo & Company to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.53.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

Shares of WFC stock opened at $75.57 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $80.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.11. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12 month low of $71.89 and a 12 month high of $97.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.66, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.85 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 17.26%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.39 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. This trade represents a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $7,006,722.72. This trade represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Wells Fargo & Company News

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.

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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