J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Cuts Stock Position in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lessened its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 59.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,690 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WFC. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on WFC. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $109.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Robert W. Baird raised Wells Fargo & Company from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen cut their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.13.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $80.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $249.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.06. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1-year low of $58.42 and a 1-year high of $97.76. The company’s 50-day moving average is $83.94 and its 200 day moving average is $86.17.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.63 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 17.27%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Wells Fargo & Company’s payout ratio is presently 28.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wells Fargo & Company

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,006,722.72. This represents a 23.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total value of $2,613,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,270,933.80. The trade was a 26.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000 in the last quarter. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded WFC from “hold” to “buy” with a $94 price target, giving the stock a near-term positive catalyst and supporting the rally. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes rising investor attention in WFC (analysis/flow of interest rather than new fundamental news); this can amplify moves but is not a direct fundamental catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo analysts trimmed coverage/price targets on other large names (Fiserv, Meta) this week—a sign the firm’s research desks are re?calibrating multiples across sectors rather than issuing bank?specific downgrades; this creates mixed headline flow for investors tracking analyst activity. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target on WFC to $100 — a downward revision that injects some selling pressure and offsets part of the HSBC-driven buying. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s own equity team lowered its year?end S&P 500 target and its strategist Ohsung Kwon warned markets will remain volatile in coming months—comments that strengthen a risk?off backdrop and can cap upside for bank stocks broadly. Article Title Article Title

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.