NatWest Group plc Boosts Stock Holdings in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Key Points

• NatWest Group plc increased its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 4.6%, acquiring an additional 7,934 shares in the first quarter, which makes it the 13th largest holding in their portfolio.
• Wells Fargo's quarterly earnings report revealed earnings of $1.54 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations by $0.13, and the company recently declared a dividend increase to $0.45 per share.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Wells Fargo, with an average target price of $82.56, reflecting confidence in the company's growth potential.

NatWest Group plc boosted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report) by 4.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 180,418 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,934 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company makes up 3.8% of NatWest Group plc's holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. NatWest Group plc's holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $12,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Motco grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 397.6% in the first quarter. Motco now owns 408 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 63.7% during the fourth quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 496 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WFC. Raymond James Financial cut Wells Fargo & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. They set a "hold" rating and a $83.00 price objective on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.56.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock traded down $2.85 on Friday, reaching $78.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 20,656,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,342,975. The company has a market capitalization of $253.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.25. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $50.22 and a 52 week high of $84.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $80.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.03.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.13. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.29% and a net margin of 16.82%.The business had revenue of $20.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is a boost from Wells Fargo & Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Wells Fargo & Company's payout ratio is 30.82%.

Wells Fargo & Company Profile

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.