Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $58.85.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Wells Fargo & Company from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $63.00 target price (up previously from $57.00) on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Compass Point reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Monday, January 8th.

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Down 0.8 %

WFC traded down $0.48 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $59.32. 18,007,381 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 19,055,352. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.97. The firm has a market cap of $210.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.19. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1 year low of $36.40 and a 1 year high of $61.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.87.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 12th. The financial services provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.19 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.30% and a net margin of 15.63%. Wells Fargo & Company's quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.06 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. Wells Fargo & Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.23%.

Institutional Trading of Wells Fargo & Company

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFC. Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 208.0% during the 4th quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 528,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 356,620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.90% of the company's stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile

Wells Fargo & Company, a financial services company, provides diversified banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management.