Who owns the majority of Wells Fargo?

Institutional investors own the majority of Wells Fargo. The bank has more than 2,700 institutional shareholders that collectively own about 80% of WFC outstanding shares. The largest of these institutional investors are Vanguard, BlackRock, and Fidelity.

Is Wells Fargo Bank U.S.-owned?

Yes, Wells Fargo Bank is U.S.-owned. Most of the company's largest shareholders are large U.S.-based institutional investors like Vanguard, BlackRock, Fidelity, State Street, and JPMorgan Chase.

Who is the original owner of Wells Fargo?

Wells Fargo was founded by William Fargo and Henry Wells in 1852. The company has undergone several mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and name changes over its history. Notable transactions include the Wells Fargo IPO in 1962 and the 1998 merger of Norwest Corporation of Minneapolis with Wells Fargo.

Does BlackRock own Wells Fargo?

BlackRock owns 260.6 million shares, or 8.5%, of Wells Fargo as of mid-2026. The asset manager is WFC's second-largest institutional shareholder after Vanguard.

Who Owns Wells Fargo? | The Motley Fool

Who Owns Wells Fargo?

By Matthew DiLallo – Updated Jun 1, 2026 at 2:25 AM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Wells Fargo, founded in 1852, is largely owned by institutional investors (80%).
Its top institutional shareholders include Vanguard, BlackRock, and Fidelity.
Investors can buy Wells Fargo shares directly or via ETFs and mutual funds.

The story of who owns Wells Fargo (WFC +0.29%) reads like an American history lesson. It begins with the rise and fall of stagecoach transportation and continues to modern-day corporate mergers and scandals. From humble beginnings, Wells Fargo has grown into a diversified financial services company that manages $2 trillion in assets and ranks 33rd on Fortune's 100 list of America's largest corporations by revenue (as of late 2025).

Read on for the Wells Fargo ownership story. You'll also learn who WFC's largest shareholders are today, who's on the board of directors, and how to invest your cash in the company.

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NYSE: WFC

Wells Fargo

Today's Change

(0.29%) $0.25

Current Price

$87.16

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$267B

Day's Range

$86.65 - $87.84

52wk Range

$72.78 - $97.76

Volume

14.1M

Avg Vol

16.6M

Dividend Yield

2.07%

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Who are the largest shareholders?

Here are three of the top individual insider shareholders as of the most recent company proxy statement from April 2025.

Charles Scharf is Wells Fargo's CEO and president. He is also on the WFC board of directors. He owns 919,234 shares.
Jonathan Weiss was a senior executive vice president and the CEO of the bank's Corporate and Investment Banking group before stepping down in January 2025, ahead of his retirement in June. He owns 424,051 shares.
Michael Santomassimo is Wells Fargo's chief financial officer (CFO) and senior vice president. He owns 351,866 shares.

Below are the top three institutional owners of Wells Fargo.

Vanguard Group owns 296.4 million WFC shares. The position amounts to 9.7% of the outstanding shares.
BlackRock (BLK +1.59%) owns roughly 260.6 million Wells Fargo shares, accounting for 8.5% of the WFC ownership.
Fidelity Management and Research Company holds around 144.5 million shares of Wells Fargo, for 4.72% of the outstanding WFC stock.

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Who is on the board of directors?

Public companies are governed by boards of directors. A board of directors for a public company is a group of shareholder-elected individuals who oversee and guide the company's strategic direction. The company's CEO typically reports to and serves on the board.

There are 13 directors on Wells Fargo's board as of late 2025, none of whom predate 2015, primarily because a 2016 scandal prompted Wells Fargo to overhaul its board and leadership team. The scandal was rooted in the bank's aggressive sales culture where employees opened unauthorized accounts in customers' names to meet their sales goals.

Wells Fargo has since faced intense scrutiny, fines, and ongoing sanctions from regulators.

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Data source: Wells Fargo
Name	Position	Board Member Since
Steven D. Black	Lead Independent Director, Wells Fargo & Company	2020
Mark A. Chancy	Director	2020
Celeste A. Clark	Director	2018
Theodore F. Craver, Jr.	Director	2018
Richard K. Davis	Director	2022
Fabian T. Garcia	Director	2024
Wayne M. Hewett	Director	2019
CeCelia "CeCe" G. Morken	Director	2022
Maria R. Morris	Director

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How to invest in Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo trades on the NYSE under the ticker WFC. To invest directly in the company, place a buy order with your U.S.-based brokerage firm.

You can also invest in Wells Fargo indirectly through an exchange-traded fund (ETF) or mutual fund. WFC is a member of several market indexes. That means you can easily find the stock within lower-cost, passively managed funds. Funds that track the indexes below will include a Wells Fargo position.

S&P 500: The S&P 500 includes 500 of the largest and most successful public companies in the U.S. Index constituents are diversified across all sectors.
S&P 500 Financials: This sector index tracks all financial companies in the S&P 500. You'd invest here if you're interested in owning a basket of bank stocks. You might also want to reference our guide to investing in banking stocks.
Russell 1000: The Russell 1000 includes the top 1,000 public U.S. companies by market capitalization.

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FAQ

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Who owns Wells Fargo: FAQ

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About the Author

Matt DiLallo has been a contributing Motley Fool stock analyst specializing in the energy, industrials, and real estate sectors since 2012. He also covers dividend-paying stocks, pre-IPO companies, ETFs, and other investing topics. He holds an MBA from Liberty University.

TMFmd19

@MatthewDiLallo

Wells Fargo is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Matt DiLallo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends BlackRock. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Who Owns Wells Fargo?

Key Points

NYSE: WFC

Key Data Points

Who are the largest shareholders?

Who is on the board of directors?

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How to invest in Wells Fargo

FAQ

Who owns Wells Fargo: FAQ

About the Author

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Who Owns JPMorgan Chase?

Who owns Wells Fargo: FAQ

Who owns the majority of Wells Fargo?

Is Wells Fargo Bank U.S.-owned?

Who is the original owner of Wells Fargo?

Does BlackRock own Wells Fargo?

Who is the owner of Wells Fargo?

Who is on the board of directors?

Related investing topics

How to invest in Wells Fargo

FAQ

NYSE: WFC

Key Data Points

Who are the largest shareholders?