Wells Fargo & Company $WFC Stock Holdings Boosted by Natixis Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its Wells Fargo stake by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 161,239 shares and bringing its total holding to 3,644,124 shares worth about $339.6 million.
• Wells Fargo reported Q1 earnings of $1.60 per share, edging past analysts’ estimate of $1.58, while revenue rose 6.4% year over year to $11.62 billion.
• The bank declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, implying an annualized payout of $1.80 and a 2.3% yield; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $97.53.

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,644,124 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 161,239 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of Wells Fargo & Company worth $339,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 3,351 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Simmons Bank grew its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 6,359 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $593,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,048 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,123,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Group LTD grew its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 36.9% during the third quarter. Main Street Group LTD now owns 438 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WFC opened at $77.26 on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company has a twelve month low of $71.93 and a twelve month high of $97.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $236.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.92, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $79.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.84.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.02. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.26% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $11.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.39 EPS. Wells Fargo & Company's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WFC. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $113.00 to $108.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $101.00 to $98.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. Finally, KGI Securities lowered shares of Wells Fargo & Company to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently 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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