The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW) Holdings Cut by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW) by 75.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 24,705 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SCHW. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Knuff & Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 1,309.3% during the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 606 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors own 84.38% of the company’s stock.

Charles Schwab Stock Performance

NYSE:SCHW opened at $88.72 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $78.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $160.89 billion, a PE ratio of 29.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.90. The Charles Schwab Co. has a 12-month low of $61.01 and a 12-month high of $88.87.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.46 billion. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 30.31%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.74 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles Schwab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Charles Schwab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.73%.

Insider Activity at Charles Schwab

In other Charles Schwab news, Director Frank C. Herringer sold 3,592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $266,741.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 172,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,784,750.12. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,380 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.32, for a total transaction of $268,101.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 57,818 shares in the company, valued at $4,586,123.76. The trade was a 5.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,412 shares of company stock valued at $3,014,797 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on SCHW shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $96.00 to $84.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $74.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Charles Schwab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $85.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Charles Schwab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.33.

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.