The Charles Schwab Corporation $SCHW Shares Acquired by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) by 9.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,863,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 248,789 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $269,141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Charles Schwab by 99.2% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Piscataqua Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in shares of Charles Schwab by 143.2% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. 84.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Charles Schwab news, Director Frank C. Herringer sold 2,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.60, for a total value of $228,312.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 177,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,082,224.80. This trade represents a 1.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jonathan S. Beatty sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.01, for a total transaction of $200,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 13,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,373,937.38. This represents a 12.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,520 shares of company stock valued at $622,392. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Charles Schwab Price Performance

SCHW opened at $101.92 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $93.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.33. The Charles Schwab Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $83.96 and a fifty-two week high of $107.50. The firm has a market cap of $177.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.77.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $7.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.90 billion. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 24.73% and a net margin of 38.79%.Charles Schwab’s quarterly revenue was up 20.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Charles Schwab Corporation will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Charles Schwab’s payout ratio is currently 23.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on SCHW. Piper Sandler set a $118.00 price target on Charles Schwab in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Charles Schwab from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Charles Schwab in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Charles Schwab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.76.

Charles Schwab News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Charles Schwab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Schwab announced a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.32 per share, along with preferred stock dividends, reinforcing its capital-return story for income-focused investors. Schwab Declares Quarterly Common Stock Dividend and Declares Preferred Stock Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target on SCHW to $114 from $108 and kept a buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside. Argus raises Charles Schwab price target
• Positive Sentiment: Schwab was added to Zacks’ “Best Income Stocks to Buy” list, suggesting investors continue to view the company as an attractive income and quality financial-services name. Best Income Stocks to Buy for July 23rd
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Schwab’s “dual beats” in its latest quarter, with earnings and revenue both coming in above expectations, adding to the bullish case after the July 21 report. Charles Schwab: Dual Beats And Attractive Preferreds
• Neutral Sentiment: Schwab also received media attention for its call for the CLARITY Act to pass, framing crypto regulation as a potential long-term industry catalyst, though the timing remains uncertain. Charles Schwab Calls CLARITY Act a Fundamental Catalyst

About Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCHW) is a diversified financial services firm that provides brokerage, banking, wealth management and advisory services to individual investors, independent investment advisors and institutional clients. Its primary offerings include retail brokerage accounts, online trading platforms, Schwab-branded mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), retirement plan services, custodial services for independent Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), and banking products through Charles Schwab Bank.