Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Trims Stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. decreased its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 15.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,305 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,085 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $2,181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WFC. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Studio Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 108.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. 75.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WFC shares. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $58.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $51.00 price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Compass Point boosted their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $54.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.68.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE WFC opened at $57.40 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Wells Fargo & Company has a fifty-two week low of $36.40 and a fifty-two week high of $58.44. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $54.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.77. The stock has a market cap of $203.22 billion, a PE ratio of 11.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.19.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.30). Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 12.40%. The firm had revenue of $20.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.67 earnings per share. Wells Fargo & Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Wells Fargo & Company will post 4.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 1st. Wells Fargo & Company’s payout ratio is 29.05%.

Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile

Wells Fargo & Company, a financial services company, provides diversified banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management.