Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP Takes Position in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP initiated a new position in Wells Fargo, buying 14,181 shares in Q4 valued at approximately $1.322 million.
• Analysts maintain a consensus of “Moderate Buy” on WFC with an average price target of $97.75 (mix of 1 Strong Buy, 14 Buy, 10 Hold ratings).
• Insiders have sold a total of 115,000 shares worth about $10.05 million in the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 75.90% of the company and corporate insiders hold 0.14%.

Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 14,181 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,322,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Research Global Investors boosted 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 acquiring an additional 5,584,930 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 399,088 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 7.4% in the third 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 acquiring an additional 1,223,999 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 1.9% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,128,470 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $763,675,000 after acquiring an additional 174,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 2.2% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 7,673,807 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $643,219,000 after acquiring an additional 165,240 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $113.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $99.50 to $91.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective 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. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. One investment analyst has 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 has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $97.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This represents a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total transaction of $2,613,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at $7,270,933.80. This represents a 26.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:WFC opened at $80.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock's fifty day moving average is $81.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.10. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $67.50 and a 52 week high of $97.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $248.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.06.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 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 company had revenue of $21.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio is 27.78%.

More Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory overhang easing — Wells Fargo highlighted the closure of a final regulatory milestone, which could reduce uncertainty and support multiple expansion if confirmed by markets. How Investors May Respond To Wells Fargo (WFC) Earnings Miss, Bond Issuance And Regulatory Milestone
• Positive Sentiment: Rate-driven earnings lift — Wells Fargo reported higher net interest income and a year-over-year rise in net income; the broader bank-earnings beat in Q1 has given the financials group a lift. Big Bank Earnings Gave Financials a Lift, But Wall Street Is Still Cautious (WFC)
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend and investor appeal — recent coverage is re-evaluating WFC as a potential high-yield / growth dividend pick; this may support longer-term income-focused demand but isn’t an immediate catalyst. Are You Looking for a High-Growth Dividend Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Debt issuance and revenue miss — the bank issued multiple callable senior unsecured notes maturing 2030–2041 and posted revenue below consensus, which can raise funding costs/concerns about growth execution. How Investors May Respond To Wells Fargo (WFC) Earnings Miss, Bond Issuance And Regulatory Milestone
• Negative Sentiment: Credit pressure and governance friction — Wells Fargo recorded roughly $1.106B of net charge-offs in the quarter and pushed shareholders to oppose several governance/ESG proposals, both of which could weigh on sentiment and attract scrutiny. How Investors May Respond To Wells Fargo (WFC) Earnings Miss, Bond Issuance And Regulatory Milestone

Wells Fargo & Company 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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