NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2025, 3:09 p.m. ET — Market closed
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) heads into the final full trading week of 2025 with U.S. stocks sitting near record territory and investors increasingly watching whether market leadership continues rotating toward financials. With the NYSE closed on Sunday, attention shifts to what could move Wells Fargo stock when trading resumes Monday: interest-rate expectations, the economic calendar, year-end positioning, and the bank’s next major catalyst—its Q4 earnings report scheduled for January 14, 2026. [1]
Where Wells Fargo stock stands heading into Monday
Wells Fargo shares last traded at $95.26, based on the most recent regular-session close (Friday, Dec. 26). On that session, WFC traded between roughly $94.73 and $95.92, with volume around 5.1 million shares—a typical holiday-week backdrop where liquidity can thin out and price moves can look bigger than they “feel” during more active periods. [2]
Over the past week, Wells Fargo has held near the top of its recent range. From the Dec. 19 close of $93.01 to the Dec. 26 close of $95.26, WFC gained about 2.4%. [3]
For broader context, the financial sector has remained a focal point for investors looking beyond mega-cap tech, and Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) last traded around $55.62.
The bigger market backdrop: record highs, “7,000” in view, and rate-cut focus
The key macro narrative into year-end is momentum—U.S. equities have been hovering near record peaks, and strategists have openly discussed the S&P 500’s approach toward the 7,000 level. In a “Week Ahead” look, Reuters noted that the S&P 500 was about 1% from 7,000, with the index tracking what could be its eighth straight monthly gain—the longest monthly winning streak since 2017–2018. [4]
But for bank stocks like Wells Fargo, the market’s next move may depend less on headlines about “new highs” and more on the expected path for interest rates and the bond market’s response.
Reuters reported that the Federal Reserve has lowered its benchmark rate by 75 basis points over its last three meetings of 2025, bringing it to 3.50%–3.75%—and that “handicapping how many rate cuts we’re going to get next year is a big thing markets are focused on right now,” according to Michael Reynolds, vice president of investment strategy at Glenmede. [5]
That matters for Wells Fargo because expectations around rates (and the yield curve) can influence everything from net interest income to loan demand and credit trends—the core plumbing behind bank earnings.
Reuters also quoted Paul Nolte, senior wealth adviser and market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management, saying momentum remains with the bulls “barring any exogenous event.” In other words: the market’s base case is constructive—but it’s also sensitive to surprises at a time of lighter holiday volume. [6]
News flow in the past 24–48 hours: limited company-specific catalysts, more macro signals
A scan of major market coverage over the last two days shows little in the way of fresh, company-specific Wells Fargo corporate news. Instead, the most market-relevant items touching Wells Fargo have been macro- and consumer-focused—important, but indirect drivers for a bank stock.
1) Tariffs and consumer prices: a Wells Fargo retail finance warning
One of the most widely circulated weekend items citing Wells Fargo research came from FOX Business, which reported that Lauren Murphy, managing director of Wells Fargo Retail Finance, expects “noticeable” home-goods price increases in early 2026 tied to tariffs and supply chain timing. The report cited retailer inventory being pulled forward earlier in 2025 and projected a rise in goods still in transit in early 2026—conditions that could feed into price pressures. [7]
For WFC investors, the takeaway isn’t that furniture inflation directly moves the stock on Monday. It’s that inflation and tariff expectations are one of the key “second-order” inputs into the Fed path—and bank stocks can reprice quickly when rate expectations shift.
2) Week-ahead catalysts: Fed minutes and housing data
With the NYSE closed today, markets are already looking to next week’s catalysts. Investopedia highlighted a holiday-week slate that includes pending home sales and Case-Shiller home prices, plus jobless claims and Fed minutes—all data points that can influence rates and risk appetite. [8]
Reuters similarly emphasized that minutes from the Fed’s December meeting, due Tuesday, may give investors more insight into how policymakers debated the rate outlook—an issue that can ripple into financials. [9]
Analyst forecasts and Wall Street targets for Wells Fargo stock
While day-to-day headlines can be thin, Wells Fargo stock remains heavily shaped by analyst expectations—and by whether the market believes banks can sustain earnings power in a shifting rate environment.
According to MarketBeat’s compilation of analyst calls, Wells Fargo carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, based on 18 analyst ratings. However, MarketBeat also lists an average 12-month price target of $92.04, implying modest downside from the latest close near $95. [10]
MarketBeat’s analyst table also shows several notable target increases in December, including:
- John McDonald (Truist Financial) raising a target to $100 (dated Dec. 18)
- David Konrad (Keefe, Bruyette & Woods) raising a target to $101 (dated Dec. 17)
- John Pancari (Evercore ISI) raising a target to $107 (dated Dec. 15) [11]
Two important nuances for investors reading these targets:
- Targets aren’t timing tools. They’re usually 12-month views and can lag fast-moving price action.
- WFC is trading near the upper end of many consensus frameworks, which can raise the bar for upcoming catalysts like earnings.
The fundamentals investors keep coming back to: regulatory relief, capital returns, and efficiency
Even if the last 48 hours didn’t bring a big Wells Fargo-specific headline, the stock’s longer-running drivers remain very active—and they matter for how investors may position into the next session.
Asset-cap removal: a structural shift for Wells Fargo
A major overhang for years was the Federal Reserve’s limit on Wells Fargo’s asset growth. In June 2025, Wells Fargo confirmed that the Fed removed the growth limits tied to the 2018 consent order. [12]
Reuters also covered the move, noting that removal of the asset cap allowed Wells Fargo to pursue growth without that constraint. [13]
For equity investors, “asset cap removal” tends to show up as a re-rating catalyst: it can change how the market thinks about loan growth, deposits, and whether the bank can deploy capital more aggressively across businesses.
Buybacks and dividends: the shareholder-return floor
Wells Fargo’s capital return story is also central to the stock narrative.
- In April 2025, Wells Fargo announced a new $40 billion common stock repurchase program, and Reuters reported the same authorization. [14]
- In October 2025, Wells Fargo announced a quarterly common dividend of $0.45 per share, payable Dec. 1, 2025. [15]
At Friday’s close near $95, that $0.45 quarterly dividend implies an annualized yield of roughly 1.9%, before considering any additional impact from buybacks. [16]
Operational strategy updates: AI, staffing, and investment banking ambitions
Wells Fargo’s cost structure and strategic direction continue to matter for valuation—especially when the stock is trading near highs and investors want to see operating leverage.
In December, Reuters reported that CEO Charlie Scharf expected more job cuts heading into 2026 and described AI-driven change as part of a push for efficiency, with AI rolling out “gradually.” [17]
Separately, Reuters reported Wells Fargo planned to extend a hiring spree in investment banking, reflecting ambitions to grow market share in dealmaking. [18]
Put together, the message investors often take from this pairing is: reduce costs where possible (automation/AI) while adding talent in revenue-generating segments (investment banking), which can support returns if the deal environment stays healthy.
What investors should know before the next session
Because it’s Sunday and the U.S. stock market is closed, here are the practical “setup” points that matter most for Wells Fargo stock before Monday:
1) Know when price discovery returns
NYSE core trading runs 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. [19]
Many brokers also facilitate extended-hours trading, commonly 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET (pre-market) and 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET (after-hours). [20]
2) Futures can shape Monday’s tone before stocks open
While stocks won’t trade until Monday, CME equity index futures typically trade Sunday 6:00 p.m. ET through Friday 5:00 p.m. ET (with a daily maintenance period). [21]
That Sunday-evening futures session can set an early risk-on/risk-off tone that influences financials at the open.
3) The year-end calendar can amplify moves
Reuters flagged that year-end portfolio adjustments and lighter trading volume can cause volatility—even without major new information. [22]
Investopedia also underscored the New Year’s schedule: stock markets are closed on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1, 2026), but remain open for normal hours on surrounding days (with bond market quirks like early closes). [23]
4) Watch the next big, known catalyst: earnings on Jan. 14
Wells Fargo’s investor relations calendar lists Q4 2025 earnings on Jan. 14, 2026. [24]
That date matters because it’s the next moment when management can update investors on:
- net interest income trends as rates evolve
- credit performance and provisioning
- expense discipline and AI-driven efficiency initiatives
- capital return plans (buybacks/dividends)
Bottom line for Wells Fargo stock (WFC) into Monday
Wells Fargo stock enters the Monday open with the market narrative leaning constructive—U.S. equities are near records, financials have been part of the rotation story, and investors are laser-focused on the Fed path into 2026. [25]
But with WFC already near the top of its recent range and some consensus price targets sitting below the latest close, the next leg higher may require either (a) a favorable rates backdrop after Fed minutes and upcoming data, or (b) renewed confidence in Wells Fargo’s earnings power heading into its January 14 report. [26]
References
1. www.reuters.com, 2. stockanalysis.com, 3. stockanalysis.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. www.foxbusiness.com, 8. www.investopedia.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.marketbeat.com, 11. www.marketbeat.com, 12. newsroom.wf.com, 13. www.reuters.com, 14. newsroom.wf.com, 15. newsroom.wf.com, 16. newsroom.wf.com, 17. www.reuters.com, 18. www.reuters.com, 19. www.nyse.com, 20. www.nasdaq.com, 21. www.cmegroup.com, 22. www.reuters.com, 23. www.investopedia.com, 24. www.wellsfargo.com, 25. www.reuters.com, 26. www.marketbeat.com
