Principal Securities Inc. Purchases 16,725 Shares of Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Principal Securities Inc. increased its Wells Fargo stake by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 16,725 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 147,416 shares worth about $13.7 million.
• Other institutions also added to their positions, and institutional investors now own 75.90% of Wells Fargo’s shares, indicating continued strong professional interest in the bank.
• Analysts remain mixed but generally constructive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $97.53, while recent headlines highlight both upside from NII and dividend appeal and downside from a DOJ subpoena related to a debanking probe.

Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,416 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,725 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $13,739,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Aviva PLC raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 2,664,685 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $248,349,000 after acquiring an additional 104,395 shares during the last quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,126 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $757,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Glaxis Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. Glaxis Capital Management LLC now owns 37,697 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,513,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 24,890 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance LLC increased its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 502,070 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,793,000 after purchasing an additional 20,967 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WFC shares. KGI Securities downgraded Wells Fargo & Company to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $113.00 to $108.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $97.53.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:WFC opened at $82.45 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $79.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Wells Fargo & Company has a one year low of $71.93 and a one year high of $97.76. The company has a market cap of $252.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.93.

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

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.78%.

Key Headlines Impacting Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated a roughly $50 billion 2026 net interest income target and signaled stronger second-quarter NII, which suggests earnings momentum could improve if loan and deposit trends hold. Wells Fargo’s Long-Dated Funding And NII Outlook Might Change The Case For Investing In WFC
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo continues to attract attention as a dividend stock, reinforcing its appeal for income-focused investors and supporting the valuation case. Why Wells Fargo (WFC) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo Advisors’ FiNet unit added a $650 million advisory team from Stifel, a modest sign of franchise growth in wealth management. Wells Fargo’s FiNet Recruits $650 Million Team From Stifel
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also received more supportive coverage around a $1.2 million community grant, which highlights capital-allocation and community-impact efforts but is unlikely to materially move the stock. Wells Fargo Grant Highlights Community Focus And Potential Valuation Upside
• Negative Sentiment: Headlines that the DOJ subpoenaed Wells Fargo in a widening debanking probe add regulatory overhang and could pressure sentiment until there is more clarity. JPMorgan, BofA, Wells Fargo Subpoenaed By DOJ In Trump's Explosive 'Debanking' Crackdown: Report

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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