KCM Investment Advisors LLC Sells 1,184 Shares of The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW)

KCM Investment Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 103,799 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,184 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $7,682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SCHW. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in Charles Schwab during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Knuff & Co LLC increased its holdings in Charles Schwab by 1,309.3% in the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 606 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab in the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.38% of the company’s stock.

Charles Schwab Trading Down 7.7 %

Shares of NYSE SCHW opened at $69.07 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $79.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.73. The Charles Schwab Co. has a fifty-two week low of $61.01 and a fifty-two week high of $84.50. 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 company has a market cap of $125.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.10, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.91.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $5.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.19 billion. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 30.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles Schwab Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This is a positive change from Charles Schwab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Charles Schwab’s payout ratio is presently 36.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on SCHW. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Charles Schwab from $81.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Charles Schwab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $89.00 to $93.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group increased their target price on Charles Schwab from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Redburn Partners reduced their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Charles Schwab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,380 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.32, for a total value of $268,101.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 57,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,586,123.76. The trade was a 5.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Peter J. Morgan III sold 14,643 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.70, for a total value of $1,181,690.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 513,081 shares of company stock worth $41,903,066. 6.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Charles Schwab Company Profile

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.