Updating your Conservative-Growth Payers: Wells Fargo

Article Excerpt

WELLS FARGO & CO. $38 remains a buy for long-term gains. The bank (New York symbol WFC; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 4.1 billion; Market cap: $155.8 billion; Dividend yield: 1.1%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.wellsfargo.com) is the fourth-largest of America’s banks by assets. Due to rising loan-loss reserves in response to COVID-19, the bank cut its quarterly dividend by 80.4%. Starting with the September 2020 payment, investors now receive $0.10 a share instead of $0.51. The new annual rate of $0.40 yields 1.1%. The bank recently agreed to sell its student loan portfolio, which totalled $10.0 billion as of September 30, 2020. It expects to complete the transaction in the first half of 2021. As a result of that deal, Wells Fargo took back $757 million of the funds it had previously set aside to cover possible defaults on student loans. Meantime, Wells Fargo continues to make progress with a major cost-cutting plan; it includes closing branches and cutting jobs. These moves should…