Moody National Bank Trust Division Sells 15,913 Shares of Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Per its latest 13F filing, Moody National Bank Trust Division sold 15,913 shares of Wells Fargo in Q4, reducing its position by 30.4% to 36,441 shares valued at $3.396 million.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently: EVP Ellen Patterson sold 60,000 shares and EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000, with insiders offloading 115,000 shares worth $10.05 million in the past 90 days (insider ownership ~0.08%).
• Wells Fargo trades with a market cap of $245.6 billion and a P/E of 12.7, pays a $0.45 quarterly dividend ($1.80 annualized, ~2.3% yield), and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $96.82 target.

Moody National Bank Trust Division reduced its position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report) by 30.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,441 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,913 shares during the quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division's holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $3,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Group LTD raised its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 36.9% during the third quarter. Main Street Group LTD now owns 438 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 3.6% during the third quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 3,436 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. now owns 4,511 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hidden Cove Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hidden Cove Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,948 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

NYSE:WFC opened at $79.61 on Wednesday. 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 $58.42 and a twelve month high of $97.76. The company has a fifty day moving average of $85.17 and a 200-day moving average of $86.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $245.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WFC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. HSBC reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Freedom Capital downgraded Wells Fargo & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $96.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wells Fargo & Company

In other news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares in the company, valued at $14,813,950.40. This trade represents a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 79,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 90 days, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wells Fargo & 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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