Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) is a financial services company. The opening of bogus bank and credit card accounts at Wells Fargo was a serious violation of customer trust. Management’s pressure on employees to “make the numbers” and their apparent slow response to the problem once it surfaced are serious lapses of judgement and culture. Members of top management are paying a financial price, and some may lose their jobs. The bank may face additional penalties, and the reputational damage is significant. From an investment perspective, though, while the stock will probably be under a cloud for some period of time, we do not expect a permanent impairment of the company’s business value. The company’s very low- cost deposit base, ubiquitous distribution, ample capital and diverse business lines give us confidence in the durability of Wells Fargo’s franchise. The stock trades at less than 12x our earnings estimates, and we continue to own the company at quarter end.
From Wallace Weitz (Trades, Portfolio)'s third quarter 2016 Partners III Opportunity Fund.
