Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) Stock Holdings Increased by Trajan Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Trajan Wealth LLC increased its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 13.7%, owning 76,965 shares valued at approximately $5.53 million.
• Wells Fargo recently declared a dividend increase to $0.45 per share, up from $0.40, with a yield of 2.3% and a payout ratio of 30.82%.
• Wells Fargo stock has experienced a range with a 12-month low of $50.22 and a high of $84.83, with recent benchmarks suggesting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Trajan Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report) by 13.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 76,965 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,275 shares during the period. Trajan Wealth LLC's holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $5,525,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 34,339,295 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,411,992,000 after purchasing an additional 3,307,855 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 20,369,222 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,430,742,000 after purchasing an additional 238,131 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 932.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 15,734,874 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,105,218,000 after purchasing an additional 14,210,193 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 13,914,098 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $977,338,000 after purchasing an additional 62,099 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 277.4% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,740,934 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $771,092,000 after acquiring an additional 7,894,919 shares in the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WFC. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Phillip Securities cut shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $80.39.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 1.9%

WFC stock traded down $1.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $77.96. 14,409,843 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,622,731. The company has a market capitalization of $249.74 billion, a PE ratio of 13.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Wells Fargo & Company has a twelve month low of $50.22 and a twelve month high of $84.83. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.99.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.13. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 12.29%. The company had revenue of $20.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.83 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.33 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to buyback $40.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 17.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wells Fargo & Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This is a positive change from Wells Fargo & Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.82%.

About Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Co is a diversified and community-based financial services company, which engages in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth and Investment Management.