Wells Fargo & Company $WFC Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group reduced its stake in Wells Fargo by 3.6% in Q4, selling 273,526 shares and leaving it with 7,400,281 shares worth about $689.7 million.
• Company insiders sold a total of 115,000 shares (~$10.05 million) in the past three months, including EVP Ellen R. Patterson (60,000 shares) and EVP Kleber Santos (25,000 shares), materially lowering their holdings.
• Analysts hold a consensus Moderate Buy on WFC with a $97.70 price target, and several firms have recently raised ratings/targets (e.g., Barclays to $113, Jefferies Buy $100) ahead of Q1, though previews highlight mortgage weakness and binary earnings risk.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,400,281 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 273,526 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.24% of Wells Fargo & Company worth $689,706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Main Street Group LTD grew its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 36.9% in the 3rd quarter. Main Street Group LTD now owns 438 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WFC. Barclays lifted their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Freedom Capital downgraded Wells Fargo & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded Wells Fargo & Company from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $96.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $97.70.

Key Headlines Impacting Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts have nudged Q1 earnings/revenue estimates higher and highlighted incremental strength ahead of the April 14 report; management changes (new head of Business Banking) are being viewed as constructive. Wells Fargo Likely To Report Higher Q1 Earnings; These Most Accurate Analysts Revise Forecasts Ahead Of Earnings Call
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market relief after a temporary ceasefire in the Middle East pushed oil prices lower and lifted bank stocks, giving Wells Fargo a short-term boost ahead of earnings. Wells Fargo (WFC) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings previews expect solid revenue and EPS growth but flag mortgage volume/margin weakness and higher credit costs as offsets — this creates binary risk: beat could lift the shares, a miss or weak guidance could pressure them. Wells Fargo Q1 Earnings on the Deck: What's in Store for the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Deeper previews examine key metrics beyond headline EPS — look for details on net interest margin, mortgage pipelines, trading revenue and loan-loss provisioning for clearer direction. Countdown to Wells Fargo (WFC) Q1 Earnings: Wall Street Forecasts for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector-wide previews (JPM, C, WFC) suggest banks could benefit from easing macro oil/geo fears, but risks to asset quality and rising costs remain a moderating factor. What Can Investors Expect from Bank Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target on WFC (flagging bank-sector volatility and risks), which can amplify downside if Wells Fargo misses or issues cautious guidance. JPMorgan Trims Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) Target, Flags Volatility Risks for Banks
• Negative Sentiment: Separate reports note pessimistic near-term forecasts for WFC from some sell-side commentary — negative headlines or analyst downgrades ahead of earnings could pressure the share price. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Wells Fargo & Company NYSE: WFC Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Despite occasional daily gains, Wells Fargo has recently underperformed peers — an underperformance trend can weigh on sentiment if earnings don’t show clear improvement. Wells Fargo & Co. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors despite daily gains

Insider Transactions at Wells Fargo & Company

In other news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total value of $5,244,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,813,950.40. The trade was a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total value of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,876 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This trade represents a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000 over the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

Shares of WFC stock opened at $85.43 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.20. The stock has a market cap of $263.62 billion, a PE ratio of 13.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.06. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1 year low of $59.65 and a 1 year high of $97.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $21.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.63 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 17.27%.Wells Fargo & Company's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company's payout ratio is 28.71%.

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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