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

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lessened its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 59.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. 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 large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,656,000. Diversified Trust Co. increased its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 59.7% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 35,285 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,289,000 after buying an additional 13,196 shares during the period. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $147,165,000. Guerra Advisors Inc raised its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 43.2% in the third quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 38,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,222,000 after buying an additional 11,594 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 1,121.0% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 24,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,018,000 after buying an additional 22,107 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total transaction of $5,244,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 169,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. The trade was a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Wells Fargo & Company

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 Stock Performance

Shares of WFC stock opened at $80.75 on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12-month low of $58.42 and a 12-month high of $97.76. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $83.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The company has a market cap of $249.17 billion, a PE ratio of 12.88, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.06.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.10. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 17.27%.The firm had revenue of $21.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WFC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. HSBC raised Wells Fargo & Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $94.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $96.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.13.

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.