Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Lowers Holdings in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. trimmed its position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 156,911 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,650 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $14,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. 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: Phillip Securities upgraded Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) from “moderate buy” to “strong-buy,” reinforcing the view that the bank’s turnaround and earnings strength still have room to run.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary noted that Wells Fargo’s comeback looks real, supported by accelerating loan growth, rising shareholder returns, and stronger customer activity, which could help sustain investor confidence. Wells Fargo’s Comeback Is Real—But Not Risk-Free
• Positive Sentiment: Additional article coverage framed WFC as a potentially attractive dividend stock, which may appeal to income-focused investors looking for a large-cap financial name with improving fundamentals. Wells Fargo (WFC) Could Be a Great Choice
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also heavy put option activity in Wells Fargo, with traders buying 82,048 puts versus a typical volume of 59,215, suggesting some hedging or bearish positioning despite the recent positive coverage.
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, Wells Fargo has been active on the research side across other stocks, including a downgrade of Nike and higher price targets on Arm Holdings, but those calls are not direct catalysts for WFC shares.

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Down 4.5%

Shares of NYSE WFC opened at $75.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $231.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.96. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1-year low of $71.89 and a 1-year high of $97.76. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $80.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.11.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.39 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 27.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares in the company, valued at $14,813,950.40. This represents a 26.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 83,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,270,933.80. This trade represents a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $10,050,000 in the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on WFC. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. KGI Securities cut Wells Fargo & Company to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $94.00 target price (down from $100.00) on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $97.53.

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.