Wells Fargo & Company $WFC Stock: Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Increases Stake

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 4.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,883,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 86,749 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $150,770,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WFC. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the 2nd quarter worth $1,635,881,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 2nd quarter worth $1,364,923,000. Amundi grew its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 73.0% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 16,463,550 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,310,663,000 after acquiring an additional 6,944,316 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 2nd quarter worth $859,431,000. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 0.3% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 8,853,784 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $708,745,000 after purchasing an additional 26,316 shares during the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wells Fargo & Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s corporate and investment banking chief Fernando Rivas described a “now or never” push among some dealmakers to complete transactions ahead of the 2028 election. More M&A activity could support advisory and financing fees; the bank is also looking at financing for AI infrastructure. Article: Wells Fargo exec sees ‘now or never’ M&A attitude
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha article argued WFC could offer attractive 13-month total-return potential, while a Zacks report noted the average brokerage recommendation is bullish. These are supportive sentiment signals, though the coverage does not provide a new company-specific financial catalyst. Article: Wells Fargo: A Big Bank With Bigger 13-Month Total Return Potential Article: Is It Worth Investing in Wells Fargo Based on Wall Street’s Bullish Views?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo is adding restructuring expertise by hiring former Deutsche Bank executive Philip Saliba. The move expands its leveraged-finance capabilities, but the report gives no expected revenue or earnings impact. Article: Wells Fargo Builds Out Restructuring Capability With Deutsche Bank Hire
• Negative Sentiment: A couple is suing Wells Fargo over allegedly unauthorized wire transfers totaling $72,360; the bank denies the claim. The dispute is a potential reputational and legal overhang, though no broader impact was reported. Article: Wells Fargo denies couple’s fraud claim

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

Shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $83.99 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $84.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $252.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.93. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12 month low of $72.78 and a 12 month high of $97.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $21.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.30 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 17.64%. The business’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WFC has been the subject of several analyst reports. CICC Research increased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Phillip Securities cut their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $115.00 to $105.00 in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Daiwa Securities Group cut their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $100.00 to $93.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $91.50 to $92.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.50.

About Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company offering banking, lending, investment, and wealth management services. Its products include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, commercial financing, investment services, and financial advice.

The company serves consumers, businesses, and institutions, primarily in the United States. Its operations include consumer and small business banking, commercial banking, and corporate and investment banking, as well as wealth and investment management.

Wells Fargo traces its origins to 1852, when Henry Wells and William G.