WFC Investment Analysis Report & Stock Research, Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC)

WFC Stock Report

2-Year Price History

View Larger WFC Chart
NYSE:WFC
$26.76
(2/9 3:34PM)
+1.2%
Open$26.89 Mkt Cap$123.8 Billion
High$27.14 52Wk High$31.53
Low$26.37 52Wk Low$7.80
Volume39.7 Million Avg Vol 10D59.2 Million

Ockham's Rating/Recommendation Summary

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WFC Revenue

Cash earnings is the most important factor in our analysis, but it goes without saying that if a company cannot produce sales then there is no ability to generate cash flow. By that logic we look very closely at revenue numbers as our second most important factor in valuing a company's stock. We have established reasonable Price to Sales per share ranges based on historical data of the last 10 years. For, WFC the high and low end of the Price to Sales per share ratios are 2.97x and 1.89x respectively.

Notice that WFC's current Price to Sales per share ratio is 1.30x, which is quite a bit below what we consider a normal Price to Sales ratio for this stock. Given normal conditions and a price of $27.42, WFC is 47% below where we would expect to see it. This will beneficially factor into our final analysis of WFC as it is not often that this stock sinks to these levels.

WFC Cash Earnings

As a value investment framework, Ockham Research is similar to a private equity firm in terms of our valuation methods. We are always on the lookout for value in the form of sales and cash numbers. In the case of WFC, Ockham views their current Cash Earnings as above its historical average multiple of cash earnings as calculated by Ockham. Similar to our analysis of sales per share, Ockham looks at the last 10 years of cash earnings levels for WFC to identify where the current high and low price levels have been historically in relation to profit per share. Again, we utilize a weighted average methodology which relies more heavily on recent years of data. This weighted average framework provides us with an average high Price to Cash Earnings ratio per share of 31.08 and a 16.30 low over the same period.

Given this range of ratios per share, WFC at its current price of $27.42 and a Price to Cash Earnings ratio of 24.48 is 3% above its average historical Price to Cash Earnings ratio. Obviously this makes us more hesitant about WFC because cash earnings would need to rise to improve the valuation. Likewise, a decline in Price to Cash Earnings to below the average of 23.69 would significantly improve our outlook for WFC given the current profit levels.

WFC Dividends

When determining a company's future prospects for success, Ockham Research sees analysis of dividend payments as a key additional factor. Even though it isn't imperative for WFC to shell out a dividend in order to receive a positive rating, it can be helpful to further our analysis.

The estimated annual dividend for WFC is $0.20 producing a current dividend yield of 0.73%. Much like our evaluation of Sales and Cash Earnings per share, we review dividend yields from WFC against the historic high and low levels over all available dividend history. Because dividends are a decision made exclusively by management, we view a healthy and rising dividend as a sign of confidence and strength. The highest dividend yield from WFC over previous years was 6.54% while the lowest dividend yield was 0.63%. With that range in mind, WFC’s current dividend yield is a full 79.64% below its median dividend yield historically. This is a negative from our perspective.

Peer Comparison

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Wells Fargo & Company Industry Grouping

(2/8/2010)
Company Ticker Market Cap (Ml) Latest
Price
Price/Cash Earnings Price/Sales 5-Yr. Rev.
Growth Rate
5-Yr.
Avg. ROE.
Current 10-Yr. Range* Current 10-Yr. Range*
Peer Company Averages (not including WFC) 60.36 7.44 » 94.42 1.69 0.53 » 2.71 19.22% 13.34%
*10 year range does not include current year values
HSBC Holdings plc ADS HBC $174.2 Billion $50.31 31.14 10.07 » 39.04 1.25 0.61 » 3.16 20.39% 13.12%
JPMorgan Chase & Company JPM $148.6 Billion $37.70 24.71 6.16 » 105.66 1.31 0.63 » 2.74 18.00% 7.96%
Bank of America Corp. BAC $125.4 Billion $14.48 214.29 8.57 » 272.86 1.08 0.13 » 2.94 18.21% 11.98%
Wells Fargo & Company WFC $123.8 Billion $26.43 24.48 6.96 » 79.75 1.30 0.55 » 3.66 10.19% 15.46%
Banco Santander ADS STD $105.1 Billion $12.89 10.89 3.76 » 31.46 2.81 0.44 » 2.19 28.13% 15.08%
Royal Bank of Canada RY $70.0 Billion $49.35 20.78 8.64 » 23.10 1.98 0.82 » 2.53 11.36% 18.56%
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Tech Trader Daily-Barron's

WFC's Valuation a Topic on Tech Trader Daily-Barron's

Tech Trader Daily-Barron's mentions some valuation metrics in regards to WFC; have a read at what they think from Ockham's RazorWire.

Crowd sentiment is neutral from the millions of opinions submitted through Motley Fool CAPS, which suggests most investors on their platform believe Wells Fargo & Company will perform just about the same as the index. When looking at our entire coverage universe and ranking stocks by the attention they receive on RazorWire, it is clear that Wells Fargo & Company has been talked about more than normal recently. After factoring in the current fundamentals versus their historically normal ranges, we have established a Fairly Valued stance on WFC.

“… Jess Lubert, WELLS FARGO Securities: Repeats Market Perform rating. “Given the difficult retail backdrop, coupled with EA’s premium valuation versus key peers, we remain ... …”

Closing Bell

Wells Fargo & Company Was Talked About by Closing Bell

News has broken via the television and viral blogs regarding WFC, so investors should take an interest in learning what was said.

Crowd sentiment is neutral from the millions of opinions submitted through Motley Fool CAPS, which suggests most investors on their platform believe Wells Fargo & Company will perform just about the same as the index. After factoring in the current fundamentals versus their historically normal ranges, we have established a Fairly Valued stance on WFC. When looking at our entire coverage universe and ranking stocks by the attention they receive on RazorWire, it is clear that Wells Fargo & Company has been talked about more than normal recently.

“… Jpmorgan down, WELLS FARGO down. Sharp move to the down side in the financials and a number of multinationals today. Even drug stocks have rolled over. They are lower. > > …”

Countdown to the Closing Bell

News Breaking on Wells Fargo & Company on Countdown to the Closing Bell

The latest news from business television and influential blogs is always available through Ockham's RazorWire, and this news is in relation to Wells Fargo & Company.

Premium Content - please sign up for Ockham PREMIUM to gain full access and to see what Countdown to the Closing Bell said about WELLS FARGO & COMPANY

Learn About RazorWire?
Naked Capitalism

Discussion Turns to WFC and Merger Talk on Naked Capitalism

RazorWire captured a discussion on Naked Capitalism that contained talk of M&A activity and WFC was mentioned as well.

Ranking all stocks in terms of news coverage offers some interesting data. In the case of WFC, it is getting significantly more attention in recent news coverage than we are used to seeing. The Motley Fool CAPS crowd believes this stock will perform generally in line with the benchmark, or in other words the crowd is neutral. Wells Fargo & Company receives our Fairly Valued rating in our latest report because the current price does not seem out of line with the fundamentals.

“… 1 trillion, up from $530 billion a year earlier (via its acquisition of Countrywide – this is WHY bank of America bought Countrywide) WELLS FARGO: $1. 8 trillion, up from $1. …”

Zero Hedge

Investors Sentiment's Effect on Wells Fargo & Company on Zero Hedge

It is always benefitial to understand the market's sentiment for a particular stock, and Zero Hedge talked about some aspects of sentiment for WFC recently.

A significant sell off of $1.87 is underway right now, so investors in WFC should pay close attention to the news. Ranking all stocks in terms of news coverage offers some interesting data. In the case of WFC, it is getting significantly more attention in recent news coverage than we are used to seeing. Wells Fargo & Company receives our Fairly Valued rating in our latest report because the current price does not seem out of line with the fundamentals. The Motley Fool CAPS crowd believes this stock will perform generally in line with the benchmark, or in other words the crowd is neutral.

“… 25%), and WELLS FARGO & Company (+14. 21%) in the wideners, and Kraft Foods Inc. (-3. 77%), Sara Lee Corp. (-0. 93%), and XTO Energy Inc (-0. 68%) in the tighteners. …”

Mad Money

Mad Money Has News on WFC

The latest news from business television and influential blogs is always available through Ockham's RazorWire, and this news is in relation to Wells Fargo & Company.

Crowd sentiment is neutral from the millions of opinions submitted through Motley Fool CAPS, which suggests most investors on their platform believe Wells Fargo & Company will perform just about the same as the index. When looking at our entire coverage universe and ranking stocks by the attention they receive on RazorWire, it is clear that Wells Fargo & Company has been talked about more than normal recently. Please be aware that WFC is trading off $1.86 today, and is clearly being affected by the latest news. After factoring in the current fundamentals versus their historically normal ranges, we have established a Fairly Valued stance on WFC.

“… Was it right that WELLS FARGO, $27 right now, trade the at $7 last year? Was it correct that ford at $11 right now traded at $1 and change a year ago. …”

Felix Salmon Reuters

Felix Salmon Reuters: What is Happening with Wells Fargo & Company Now?

The latest news from business television and influential blogs is always available through Ockham's RazorWire, and this news is in relation to Wells Fargo & Company.

When looking at our entire coverage universe and ranking stocks by the attention they receive on RazorWire, it is clear that Wells Fargo & Company has been talked about more than normal recently. Crowd sentiment is neutral from the millions of opinions submitted through Motley Fool CAPS, which suggests most investors on their platform believe Wells Fargo & Company will perform just about the same as the index. After factoring in the current fundamentals versus their historically normal ranges, we have established a Fairly Valued stance on WFC.

“… If prop trading is a problem, it’s much more of a problem at Goldman Sachs than it is at WELLS FARGO — yet the Volcker rule would apply to WELLS FARGO AND not to Goldman Sachs. …”

Closing Bell

See More News on WFC from Closing Bell

Staying informed on the news is invaluable for investors, and RazorWire has captured a recently discussion on WFC from Closing Bell.

In comparison to the other stocks that we follow, Wells Fargo & Company has seen more discussion in relation to its normal ranking among the group. Be aware that the news sources we track are focusing on this stock more often these days. The Ockham valuation currently has a Fairly Valued stance on WFC because it trades within the price range that we would expect given current market conditions and fundamentals. Our sentiment indicator, provided through the Motley Fool CAPS survey, suggests that investors are neutral overall towards WFC and think that it will generally perform in-line with the S&P 500.

“… WELLS FARGO one of the few stocks in negative territory. Bank of america raised it rating on the credit card sector. There is the widely helds towards the end of the session. …”

11:16A, Feb. 02,2010 WFC $28.92 Wells Fargo & Company
Fox Business

Regulators and WFC Talked About On Fox Business

RazorWire news analytics has noted a discussion of WFC that may be related to a regulators or the Fed on Fox Business.

Our sentiment indicator, provided through the Motley Fool CAPS survey, suggests that investors are neutral overall towards WFC and think that it will generally perform in-line with the S&P 500. The Ockham valuation currently has a Fairly Valued stance on WFC because it trades within the price range that we would expect given current market conditions and fundamentals. In comparison to the other stocks that we follow, Wells Fargo & Company has seen more discussion in relation to its normal ranking among the group. Be aware that the news sources we track are focusing on this stock more often these days.

“… This group did point out analysis from lehman brothers saying WELLS FARGO AND banc of america were exposed to problematic loans. …”

Zero Hedge

Income Investors: A Discussion of WFC and Dividends on Zero Hedge

Dividends are a management decision and can be seen as a signal of strength or weakness depending on the latest news. RazorWire captured a discussion of WFC's dividends recently on Zero Hedge.

Crowd sentiment is neutral from the millions of opinions submitted through Motley Fool CAPS, which suggests most investors on their platform believe Wells Fargo & Company will perform just about the same as the index. When looking at our entire coverage universe and ranking stocks by the attention they receive on RazorWire, it is clear that Wells Fargo & Company has been talked about more than normal recently. After factoring in the current fundamentals versus their historically normal ranges, we have established a Fairly Valued stance on WFC.

“… The less volatile ExHVOL's move today is driven by both WELLS FARGO & Company (-7bps) pushing the index 0. 07bps tighter, and Sempra Energy (+12. 5bps) adding 0. 13bps to ExHVOL. …”

View All Wells Fargo & Company Stock News

Key Fundamentals

WFC - Wells Fargo & Company Fundamentals
Price (2/9 3:34PM) $26.76
Volume (2/9 3:34PM) 39.7 Million
Last Close Price $26.43
10 Day Average Volume 59.2 Million
13 Week Price Range $25.00 - $29.43
52 Week Price Range $7.80 - $31.53
LTM Revenue $98.6 Billion
 
Shares Outstanding (12/2009) 4.7 Billion
Market Capitalization $123.8 Billion
Shares Held By Institutions 3.5 Billion
Institutional Holders 1,620
% Shares Held By Institutions 75.40%
Earnings Per Share (EPS) $1.75
P/E Ratio 15.10
Book Value Per Share $19.33
 
Gross Margin n/a%
Annual Dividend 0.20
Dividend Yield 0.80%
Beta 1.27
Fiscal Year Ends December

About Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company is considered to operate in the Financial sector. They specifically operate in the Money Center Banks business segment contained within the Banking industry.

A financial services company providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage banking, investment banking, retail banking, brokerage and consumer finance.