Norges Bank Purchases New Shares in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Norges Bank disclosed a new position in Wells Fargo during the fourth quarter, buying 48.4 million shares worth about $4.51 billion. The stake represents roughly 1.54% of Wells Fargo and makes the stock Norges Bank’s 29th-largest holding.
• Wells Fargo’s recent outlook was supported by expectations for strong Q2 fee-income growth, including mid-teen percentage gains in investment banking, trading, and wealth management revenue. CEO Charlie Scharf said these businesses are improving.
• The bank also reported solid recent financial results and shareholder returns, with last quarter’s EPS of $1.60 beating estimates and a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share set to be paid on June 1. Analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy on average, though some have trimmed price targets.

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 48,418,055 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,512,563,000. Wells Fargo & Company makes up approximately 0.5% of Norges Bank's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.54% of Wells Fargo & Company as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Madison Wealth Partners Inc bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $382,000. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 24,420 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,276,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $680,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 78.9% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 60,492 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,638,000 after buying an additional 26,680 shares during the period. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,763,000. 75.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo signaled strong Q2 fee-income growth, with mid-teen investment banking and markets gains plus higher wealth management revenue expected to support results. Wells Fargo Signals Strong Q2 Fee Income Growth at Bernstein Conference
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Charlie Scharf also said Wells Fargo expects investment banking and trading revenue to rise by mid-teen percentages in Q2, reinforcing the view that fee businesses are improving. Wells Fargo CEO sees mid-teens growth in investment banking, trading 2026-05-27
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s Bernstein conference transcript mainly provided more detail on management’s outlook and did not add a major new catalyst beyond the stronger fee-income message. Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) Presents at Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary showed Goldman Sachs expects record-level M&A activity in 2026, which is constructive for bank deal-making, but this was an industry-wide note rather than a Wells Fargo-specific announcement. GS Expects Record Global M&A in 2026: Will This Boost Its IB Business?
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent commentary remains cautious on Wells Fargo’s upside, with one analysis arguing the bank keeps improving but that the stock’s near-term upside looks limited. Wells Fargo Keeps Improving, But The Upside Looks Weak
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo has also been warning that small-cap market strength may not be sustainable, citing weakening earnings estimates and higher debt levels, which reflects a more cautious macro view. Small-cap stocks are rallying, but here’s why Wells Fargo says its better to sell than buy

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Up 1.1%

WFC opened at $77.46 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average is $79.06 and its 200-day moving average is $84.91. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1-year low of $71.93 and a 1-year high of $97.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a market cap of $237.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.95, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.96.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.02. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.26% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $11.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $91.00 to $86.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $101.00 to $98.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $97.53.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WFC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.