Banco Santander S.A. Boosts Stock Position in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Banco Santander S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 87,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 18,047 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $7,315,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the second quarter worth $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 472.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Wells Fargo & Company News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst / internal commentary: Wells Fargo credit analyst Mike Mayo expressed confidence that the firm’s de‑risking in financials is supporting stronger credit trends—this is constructive for loan quality and loss provisions and can ease investor concerns about credit risk. Wells Fargo’s Mike Mayo feels good about de-risking in financials supporting stronger credit
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/rate context: Coverage pieces on how further Fed rate cuts could affect Wells Fargo note mixed implications—lower rates can pressure net interest income but the stock also has moderately bullish analyst coverage and hedge‑fund interest. Monitor rate‑cut expectations and NII guidance for near‑term impact. What Do Further Rate Cuts Mean for Wells Fargo & Company (WFC)
• Negative Sentiment: Sector pressure: A broader article reports bank and brokerage stocks suffered one of their worst days in months as investors price in potential AI‑driven disruption and other headwinds—this broad negative sentiment toward financials likely amplified selling in WFC. Bank, Brokerage Stocks Suffer Their Worst Day in Months. Here’s Why.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 WFC shares at an average $87.10 (≈$2.61M); her post‑sale holding fell ~26% — large, disclosed insider sales can weigh on sentiment even if they’re for personal reasons. Bridget E. Engle Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 WFC shares at an average $87.40 (≈$5.24M); her post‑sale holding declined ~26% — another large, concurrent insider sale increases near‑term selling pressure and may trigger short‑term investor caution. Ellen R. Patterson Form 4

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

NYSE WFC opened at $81.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $90.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $250.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.09. Wells Fargo & Company has a fifty-two week low of $58.42 and a fifty-two week high of $97.76.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Wells Fargo & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 28.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on WFC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. CICC Research started coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $96.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $99.00 to $99.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Evercore dropped their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.03.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 83,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,270,933.80. This represents a 26.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kleber Santos sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.72, for a total value of $2,193,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 79,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,006,722.72. The trade was a 23.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $10,050,000 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.