Wells Fargo & Company $WFC Shares Sold by Mondrian Investment Partners LTD

Mondrian Investment Partners LTD lowered its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 22.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,282,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 369,107 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company accounts for 1.9% of Mondrian Investment Partners LTD’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $119,485,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFC. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 18.6% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 35,660,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,989,104,000 after buying an additional 5,584,930 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter worth $215,638,000. M&G PLC boosted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 320.3% during the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 2,946,277 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $247,487,000 after buying an additional 2,245,307 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the fourth quarter worth $173,651,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter worth $147,165,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Wells Fargo & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo launched Advisor Gateway, a new desktop platform for financial advisors that gives access to more than 200 tools and applications. Investors may see this as a sign the bank is investing in technology and advisor productivity, which could support fee growth and client retention. Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) Launches Advisor Gateway, Here’s What You Need to Know
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to frame WFC as undervalued, with cost cuts and efficiency improvements potentially helping the bank reach its 17%–18% ROTCE target. That supports the case for earnings leverage if management executes well. WFC’s Efficiency Story: Will Cost Cuts Lift ROTCE to Its Target Level?
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street reaction to the recent $110 million discrimination settlement has been relatively muted to constructive, with commentary noting a buy-skewed analyst consensus and insider buying. That suggests investors may be looking past the legal overhang. Wall Street’s Verdict on Wells Fargo After the $110 Million Discrimination Settlement
• Neutral Sentiment: One article on Wells Fargo’s revised price target for Alphabet is only indirectly relevant to WFC and does not appear to be a direct driver of the stock today.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several repeat items discuss the same Advisor Gateway launch and efficiency/cost-cutting story, reinforcing the same theme rather than adding a new catalyst.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wells Fargo & Company

In other 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 value of $5,244,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 169,496 shares of the company’s stock, 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 at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.10, for a total value of $2,613,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,270,933.80. This trade represents a 26.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

Shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $76.52 on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company has a 52 week low of $71.89 and a 52 week high of $97.76. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $78.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.25. The firm has a market cap of $234.15 billion, a PE ratio of 11.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.96. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.02. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 17.26%.The business had revenue of $11.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 27.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WFC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $91.00 to $86.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $109.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, KGI Securities lowered Wells Fargo & Company to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.53.

About Wells Fargo & Company

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.