Westpac Banking Corp Decreases Stock Position in The Charles Schwab Corporation $SCHW

Westpac Banking Corp trimmed its position in shares of The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) by 54.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,128 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 52,315 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $4,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in Charles Schwab by 2,112.7% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 181,793 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,587,000 after purchasing an additional 173,577 shares in the last quarter. First National Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Charles Schwab by 82.2% in the 3rd quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 89,224 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,518,000 after buying an additional 40,257 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Charles Schwab by 131.0% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 99,832 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,531,000 after buying an additional 56,609 shares in the last quarter. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. acquired a new position in Charles Schwab in the second quarter worth approximately $246,000. Finally, Optimize Financial Inc bought a new position in Charles Schwab during the third quarter valued at approximately $467,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.38% of the company’s stock.

Charles Schwab Trading Up 2.4%

Charles Schwab stock opened at $95.31 on Thursday. The Charles Schwab Corporation has a 52 week low of $65.88 and a 52 week high of $107.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $169.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $100.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.50.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.07. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 22.07% and a net margin of 37.01%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.01 EPS. Charles Schwab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.700-5.800 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Charles Schwab Corporation will post 4.22 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 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Charles Schwab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Charles Schwab’s payout ratio is presently 27.47%.

Insider Activity at Charles Schwab

In related news, Chairman Walter W. Bettinger sold 67,514 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total value of $7,038,334.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 529,346 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,184,320.50. This represents a 11.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan S. Beatty sold 2,000 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,768 shares in the company, valued at $2,285,640. This represents a 8.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 348,344 shares of company stock worth $36,259,555 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on SCHW. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $114.00 target price on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Citizens Jmp upped their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays boosted their price target on Charles Schwab from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Charles Schwab from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Charles Schwab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.95.

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.