UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) Stock

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $90.00 to $95.00 in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on SCHW. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Redburn Partners decreased their price target on Charles Schwab from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $94.00 price objective (up from $84.00) on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $84.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $81.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Charles Schwab presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $84.11.

Charles Schwab Stock Performance

NYSE SCHW opened at $82.13 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.47. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $77.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.99. Charles Schwab has a fifty-two week low of $61.01 and a fifty-two week high of $83.35.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.11. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 30.31% and a return on equity of 18.20%. The firm had revenue of $5.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.68 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Charles Schwab will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles Schwab Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a boost from Charles Schwab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Charles Schwab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Jonathan S. Beatty sold 2,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total value of $188,623.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,481,838.69. This trade represents a 11.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Peter J. Morgan III sold 14,643 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.70, for a total transaction of $1,181,690.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,014 shares of company stock valued at $4,052,281 in the last three months. 6.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles Schwab

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 62.6% during the third quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Charles Schwab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Charles Schwab during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.38% of the company’s stock.

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.