Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Increases Position in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its Wells Fargo stake by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, adding 14,168 shares to bring its total holdings to 350,567 shares worth about $32.7 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their positions, while insiders were net sellers: EVP Kleber Santos and EVP Bridget E. Engle both sold shares, and insiders sold 115,000 shares in the last quarter overall.
• Wells Fargo reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $1.60 and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, yielding 2.4%; analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $97.53.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 350,567 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 14,168 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $32,673,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WFC. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 62.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 66,233 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,652,000 after purchasing an additional 25,436 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 12.9% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 22,904 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,835,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 111.0% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 14,008 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 7,368 shares during the period. Vivaldi Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 5.4% in the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 3,229 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 51.2% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 25,718 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,044,000 after purchasing an additional 8,714 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total value of $2,613,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 83,478 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,270,933.80. This represents a 26.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

More Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Phillip Securities upgraded Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) from “moderate buy” to “strong-buy,” reinforcing the view that the bank’s turnaround and earnings strength still have room to run.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary noted that Wells Fargo’s comeback looks real, supported by accelerating loan growth, rising shareholder returns, and stronger customer activity, which could help sustain investor confidence. Wells Fargo’s Comeback Is Real—But Not Risk-Free
• Positive Sentiment: Additional article coverage framed WFC as a potentially attractive dividend stock, which may appeal to income-focused investors looking for a large-cap financial name with improving fundamentals. Wells Fargo (WFC) Could Be a Great Choice
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also heavy put option activity in Wells Fargo, with traders buying 82,048 puts versus a typical volume of 59,215, suggesting some hedging or bearish positioning despite the recent positive coverage.
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, Wells Fargo has been active on the research side across other stocks, including a downgrade of Nike and higher price targets on Arm Holdings, but those calls are not direct catalysts for WFC shares.

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

WFC opened at $75.57 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average is $80.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.11. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1 year low of $71.89 and a 1 year high of $97.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.96.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $11.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.39 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WFC. CICC Research began coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $96.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on 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. Freedom Capital lowered Wells Fargo & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, KGI Securities lowered Wells Fargo & Company to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wells Fargo & Company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.53.

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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