Insider Selling: The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW) Chairman Sells 67,386 Shares of Stock

The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW) Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 67,386 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.11, for a total transaction of $4,387,502.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 60,619,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,946,927,245.81. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Charles Schwab Trading Down 0.5 %

SCHW traded down $0.32 during trading on Friday, hitting $63.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,202,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,040,209. The Charles Schwab Co. has a twelve month low of $48.66 and a twelve month high of $79.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $71.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.98. The stock has a market cap of $112.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.52, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.68 billion. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 26.30% and a return on equity of 18.65%. Charles Schwab’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles Schwab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. Charles Schwab’s payout ratio is presently 41.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SCHW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $84.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $82.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Charles Schwab currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.27.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charles Schwab

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SCHW. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 26,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,839,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. bought a new position in Charles Schwab during the fourth quarter worth about $474,000. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Charles Schwab by 37.7% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 20,102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 5,501 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC acquired a new stake in Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $262,000. Finally, KG&L Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Charles Schwab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $236,000. 84.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Charles Schwab

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.