Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Has $1.99 Million Stock Position in Wells Fargo & Company $WFC

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 44.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 21,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 17,200 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $1,985,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $94.00 target price (down from $100.00) on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. HSBC upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $94.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.53.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

NYSE WFC opened at $76.52 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $234.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $78.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.25. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1 year low of $71.89 and a 1 year high of $97.76.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.85 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.26% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.39 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting 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 Activity at Wells Fargo & Company

In related news, EVP Bridget E. Engle sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 83,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,270,933.80. This represents a 26.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Ellen R. Patterson sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.40, for a total transaction of $5,244,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 169,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,813,950.40. The trade was a 26.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.14% 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.