Simplicity Wealth LLC Reduces Stake in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Simplicity Wealth LLC trimmed its position by 23.2% in Wells Fargo during Q4, selling 16,136 shares and ending with 53,447 shares valued at about $4.98 million.
• Insiders sold 115,000 shares over the past three months (roughly $10.05 million), including EVP Ellen R. Patterson (60,000 shares) and EVP Bridget E. Engle (30,000 shares), each cutting their stakes by ~26% on Feb. 26.
• Key company developments include the Fed’s removal of the asset cap, a board-approved $0.45 quarterly dividend (≈2.2% yield), and an average analyst target near $97.75 implying notable upside potential.

Simplicity Wealth LLC trimmed its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 23.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,447 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 16,136 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC's holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $4,981,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter valued at about $215,638,000. M&G PLC grew its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 320.3% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 2,946,277 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $247,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245,307 shares during the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $147,165,000. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $138,398,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were 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 directly owned 169,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. The trade was a 26.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,270,933.80. The trade was a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wells Fargo & Company News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Federal cap removed; bank is expanding trading/Wall Street operations — management is investing in trading now that the Fed’s asset cap is lifted, which could boost fee and trading revenue and support a re-rating over time. Wells Fargo's Long-Anticipated Wall Street Expansion Is Here
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a $0.45 quarterly dividend (record May 8; payable June 1), implying a ~2.2% yield — supports income investors and signals confidence in capital levels. Wells Fargo & Company Announces Common Stock Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Street analysts see material upside — average price targets (~$96.65) imply roughly 15–20% upside from current levels, providing a potential catalyst if sentiment or results improve. Wall Street Sees Big Upside for Wells Fargo—Jim Cramer Saw It at $33
• Positive Sentiment: Removal of the Fed’s $1.95T asset cap highlighted in coverage as a key growth driver — allows balance-sheet and loan growth that had been restricted. 'Spending Fatigue' Appears in Debit, Credit Card Data
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells added Cathay Pacific as a rewards points transfer partner — incremental product improvement for credit-card customers, but limited direct earnings impact. Wells Fargo Adds Cathay Pacific as New Rewards Points Transfer Partner
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting a strong trading day / short-term outperformance — market momentum item that could support sentiment but is volatile. Wells Fargo & Co. stock outperforms competitors on strong trading day
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with peers (Citigroup) and listicles placing WFC among attractive bank picks — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Citigroup vs. Wells Fargo: Which Bank Stock Is a Smarter Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: “3 Reasons to Avoid WFC” piece highlights six‑month underperformance and softer quarterly details — negative narratives like this can pressure sentiment and selling by momentum traders. 3 Reasons to Avoid WFC and 1 Stock to Buy Instead
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s own card‑spending data shows recent ‘spending fatigue’ — weaker consumer card activity could translate into lower fee income and slower loan growth. 'Spending Fatigue' Appears in Debit, Credit Card Data
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target cut (Keefe Bruyette lowered target citing softer net interest income) signals potential earnings pressure and could cap near-term upside until NII stabilizes. Is Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) one of Goldman Sachs Top Bank Stocks Despite Price Target Cut?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Freedom Capital cut Wells Fargo & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $99.50 to $91.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Wells Fargo & Company from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $85.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $97.75.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Up 1.1%

WFC stock opened at $81.43 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $251.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. Wells Fargo & Company has a one year low of $68.95 and a one year high of $97.76. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $81.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.20.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $21.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.85 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.26% and a return on equity of 13.27%. Wells Fargo & Company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.39 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company's payout ratio is presently 27.78%.

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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