Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Posted by Logan Wallace on May 17th, 2026

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also commented on WFC. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $94.00 price target (down from $100.00) on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. KGI Securities lowered Wells Fargo & Company to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $113.00 to $108.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.53.

Get Our Latest Research Report on WFC

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Down 0.5%

WFC opened at $73.46 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $224.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.96. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $71.89 and a 52 week high of $97.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $79.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $11.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.85 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 17.26%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.39 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wells Fargo & Company

In related news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares in the company, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total value of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,006,722.72. This trade represents a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Wells Fargo & Company

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake 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 in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Wells Fargo & Company News

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

Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan reiterated a Hold rating on Wells Fargo and cut its price target to $86.50 from $91, reinforcing a more cautious near-term outlook for the stock. Wells Fargo (WFC) Stock Expected To Stay Under Pressure In The Short Term
Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo announced cash dividends on six series of preferred stock, a routine capital return update that should not materially change the near-term outlook for common shares. Wells Fargo & Company Declares Cash Dividends on Preferred Stock
Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Wells Fargo’s post-earnings performance noted that the stock remains below its recent levels after the company’s latest results, with investors still assessing whether revenue growth can offset higher compensation and technology costs. Wells Fargo Revenues Are Rising, But Can It Bend the Cost Curve?
Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s economists changed their view on the timing of the next Fed rate cut, highlighting uncertainty around inflation and interest-rate expectations that could influence bank earnings and net interest income. Wells Fargo sees writing on the wall about the next Fed rate cut
Negative Sentiment: Broader financial stocks weakened in the latest session, which may be adding pressure to Wells Fargo as part of a sector-wide move lower. Sector Update: Financial Stocks Fall Wednesday

Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.