Ellen Patterson Sells 60,000 Shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) Stock

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) EVP Ellen Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the 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 approximately $14,813,950.40. This represents a 26.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 5.8%

Shares of WFC opened at $81.33 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $90.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.44. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12-month low of $58.42 and a 12-month high of $97.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $250.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WFC. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $109.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $99.00 to $99.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $113.00 price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.03.

More 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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,656,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at $147,165,000. Guerra Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 43.2% during the third quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 38,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,222,000 after purchasing an additional 11,594 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 22,107 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 52.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 138,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,639,000 after purchasing an additional 47,946 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% 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.