Bank of America Assigns Buy Rating to Wells Fargo
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 10 2025
0mins
Source: Business Insider
Wells Fargo shares rose 3.56% and reached a 20-day high amid a challenging market environment.
Bank of America has assigned a buy rating to Wells Fargo with a price target of $95, indicating a potential 20% upside from Tuesday's close. Analysts believe that achieving an 18% return on tangible common equity by 2028 is more feasible than current market sentiment implies, suggesting that the degree of de-rating appears disproportionate to the underlying fundamentals. Although Wells Fargo shares have fallen nearly 16% in 2026 due to market concerns regarding its exposure to private credit and leveraged loan markets, Bank of America expects market confidence to gradually rebuild after a few clean quarters.
The positive outlook from Bank of America may help restore investor confidence in Wells Fargo, especially as the bank navigates through current market challenges and aims for improved profitability.
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Analyst Views on WFC
Wall Street analysts forecast WFC stock price to rise
17 Analyst Rating
10 Buy
6 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 87.450
Low
74.00
Averages
98.66
High
113.00
Current: 87.450
Low
74.00
Averages
98.66
High
113.00
About WFC
Wells Fargo & Company is a financial services company. The Company provides a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, to individuals, businesses and institutions. The Company operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. The Company provides consumer financial products and services, including checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and auto, residential mortgage, and small business lending. In addition, the Company offers financial planning, private banking, investment management, and fiduciary services. It also provides financial solutions to businesses through products and services including traditional commercial loans and lines of credit, letters of credit, asset-based lending and leasing, trade financing, treasury management, and investment banking services.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Regulatory Impact Analysis: The Durbin Amendment of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act caps interchange fees for institutions with over $10 billion in assets, but banks owning the underlying network infrastructure can legally avoid these limits, potentially restoring lost revenue streams.
- Fiserv Stock Volatility: Following acquisition rumors, Fiserv's stock rose 4% in after-hours trading; however, it has plummeted approximately 70% from its 2025 highs, reflecting ongoing pressures from intensified competition and frequent executive turnover in the payments sector.
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- Strong Aerospace Division: Honeywell Aerospace shares have surged 15% over the past three sessions, currently priced at approximately $220, with analysts setting a target of $285, highlighting its attractiveness for long-term growth.
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See More
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- Market Impact Analysis: While the anticipated $20 billion inflow represents about 3% of annual inflows into 401(k) retirement accounts, its concentrated timing within a single quarter could lead to a more pronounced impact on stock performance.
- Donor Support: The analyst noted that nearly a third of the total inflow will come from commitments by donors associated with the accounts, including business moguls like the Dell family, Ray Dalio, and Brad Gerstner, indicating strong support from high-net-worth individuals.
- Account Features: The Trump Accounts, also known as 530A accounts, officially launched over the holiday weekend, offering tax-deferred growth and including a $1,000 pilot program contribution from the U.S. Treasury for babies born from 2025 to 2028.
See More
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- Positive Catalyst Watch: J.P. Morgan has placed Wells Fargo (WFC) on a 90-day positive catalyst watch, anticipating benefits from strong trading revenues and a favorable outlook for investment banking fees ahead of Q2 earnings, which could enhance market confidence.
- Stock Price Reaction: Wells Fargo's stock rose 1.4% in morning trading, reflecting optimistic market expectations for its future performance, particularly given management's high confidence in the fiscal year outlook.
- Investment Banking Outlook: Analyst Vivek Juneja noted that if net interest income exceeds expectations, it will further bolster Wells Fargo's financial performance, especially as large-cap U.S. banks are experiencing growth in investment banking and trading revenues.
- Rating Comparison: While J.P. Morgan rates Wells Fargo as Neutral, this contrasts sharply with the SA Quant rating, the average SA Analyst rating, and the average Wall Street rating, all of which are Buy, indicating differing market perceptions of the bank.
See More
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- Target Price Increase: Wells Fargo raised AMD's target price from $505 to $615 while reiterating an Overweight rating, based on expected strong demand for EPYC server CPUs, reflecting a positive market outlook for its products.
- Earnings Forecast Upgrade: Wells Fargo adjusted its earnings per share projections to $13.40 for 2027 and $18.75 for 2028, indicating that revenue from data center GPUs is expected to remain above consensus estimates.
- Industry Outlook: Cantor Fitzgerald increased AMD's target price from $500 to $700, viewing the ongoing AI infrastructure buildout as a generational cycle for the semiconductor sector, with industry revenues projected to reach around $3 trillion by 2029 and potentially exceed $3.5 trillion by 2030.
See More
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- Importance of Banking Relationships: A portion of society lacking banking relationships poses challenges for economic operations, as nearly everyone has at least one bank account, underscoring the essential role banks play in the economy.
- Lessons from the Great Recession: Iconic U.S. banks like Bank of America and Citigroup suffered during the Great Recession due to risky mortgage practices, leading to dividend cuts, highlighting the importance of financial stability.
- Canadian Banks' Advantages: Toronto-Dominion Bank and Bank of Nova Scotia did not cut dividends during the Great Recession, currently offering yields of 2.6% and 3.7%, respectively, indicating their attractiveness and stability in the market.
- Market Growth Potential: Toronto-Dominion Bank shows significant growth potential in the U.S. market, while Bank of Nova Scotia is refocusing on the U.S. market, suggesting strong opportunities for future expansion.
See More
