Hudson Bay Capital Management LP Has $11 Million Holdings in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP cut its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 51.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 131,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 138,688 shares during the period. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $11,004,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WFC. Hilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,656,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $147,165,000. Guerra Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 38,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,222,000 after acquiring an additional 11,594 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 1,121.0% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 24,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,018,000 after acquiring an additional 22,107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 52.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 138,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,639,000 after purchasing an additional 47,946 shares during the period. 75.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wells Fargo & Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst pieces highlighting Wells Fargo’s dividend and income profile may attract income-focused buyers and support the share price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: A STOCK Act disclosure shows Senator Mitch McConnell purchased WFC shares — a public insider/political buy that can be read as a mild positive signal for sentiment, though size/details weren’t provided. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo launched a national housing-affordability challenge (PR/CSR initiative) that can boost reputation and community engagement — positive for franchise value but with limited near-term P&L impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo designated a new series of preferred stock (Series GG). This is a capital-management move — watch terms for yield/call features; immediate impact on common shares is unclear. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo initiated coverage of SoFi at Equal Weight (valuation and loan-sale risk cited); the coverage pressured SoFi shares but is mainly a fintech/coverage item rather than direct WFC fundamentals. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional articles note that WFC is a trending ticker and coverage by outlets like Zacks — increased attention can raise volume/volatility but is not a directional fundamental catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large unusual options activity: traders bought ~108,090 put contracts (about a 99% increase vs. average). Heavy put buying can signal bearish bets or hedging and tends to raise downside risk/volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Truist lowered its expectations for Wells Fargo’s stock price — a downward analyst revision that can pressure sentiment if followed by other shops. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/sector headwinds: commentary that the Fed held rates and flagged higher inflation has pressured bank stocks broadly, including WFC, as higher inflation expectations can weigh on loan demand and credit outlooks. Read More.

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WFC opened at $76.30 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $86.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.30. The firm has a market cap of $235.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.17, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1-year low of $58.42 and a 1-year high of $97.76.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $21.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. Research analysts predict that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.71%.

Insider Activity at Wells Fargo & Company

In other news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total transaction of $2,613,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,270,933.80. This trade represents a 26.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total transaction of $2,193,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 79,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,006,722.72. This represents a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WFC. Robert W. Baird upgraded Wells Fargo & Company from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $99.00 to $99.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays increased their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $98.00 to $94.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.71.

Wells Fargo & 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.