Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) Stock Rating Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) was upgraded by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $96.00 target price for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.98.

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

Shares of WFC opened at $78.90 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $243.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.08. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52-week low of $58.42 and a 52-week high of $97.76. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $84.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.23. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $21.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.63 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Wells Fargo & Company

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This trade represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total transaction of $2,613,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at $7,270,933.80. This represents a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies initiated coverage of WFC with a Buy rating and $100 price target — adds fresh institutional support and a visible upside case that can help the stock. Jefferies initiates coverage of Wells Fargo (WFC) with buy recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo announced major digital milestones — Fargo® virtual assistant surpassed 1 billion interactions and mobile active users topped 33M, supporting cost savings, cross?sell scale and fee/transactions growth over time. Wells Fargo Reaches Major Digital Milestones
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer product coverage: a review of the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card highlights competitive features (unlimited 2% cash back, 0% intro APR) — incremental card adoption could modestly lift consumer revenues but is not a near?term game changer. Wells Fargo Active Cash Card review
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo research called for much higher gold prices by year?end — notable for markets exposure and trading desks, but this commodity view is indirect for bank fundamentals. Gold seen well above $6,000 by year-end despite recent struggles, Wells Fargo says
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo research continues to move other coverage (upgrades/price targets on names like Enterprise Products) — shows active capital markets/coverage but limited direct impact on WFC equity near term. Wells Fargo Upgrades Enterprise Products (EPD) to Overweight
• Neutral Sentiment: Options idea circulating: selling April puts at a ~7% discount is being discussed as an income trade — highlights yield strategies around the stock but also implies investors see limited near?term downside beyond current levels. Wells Fargo Trade Idea: 7% Discount or 30% Annual Income?
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf warned of credit losses ahead as private credit firms restrict withdrawals — raises the risk of higher loan-loss provisions and pressure on near?term earnings, which likely weighs on the stock today. Wells Fargo CEO warns of credit losses ahead as private credit firms restrict withdrawals

About Wells Fargo & Company

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.