Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Increases Stake in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 992,019 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 54,716 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Charles Schwab worth $73,419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SCHW. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,289,544,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 354.5% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,005,881 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $814,545,000 after purchasing an additional 8,584,173 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,700,013 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $717,898,000 after purchasing an additional 3,974,940 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 742.0% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,181,202 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $309,451,000 after purchasing an additional 3,684,640 shares during the period. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its position in Charles Schwab by 310.3% during the fourth quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 4,252,350 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $314,716,000 after acquiring an additional 3,216,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Charles Schwab

In related news, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,380 shares of the company'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 transaction of $268,101.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,586,123.76. This represents a 5.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Frank C. Herringer sold 3,592 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $266,741.92. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 172,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,784,750.12. The trade was a 2.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 104,735 shares of company stock worth $8,867,382. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SCHW. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $93.00 to $87.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Charles Schwab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.63.

Charles Schwab Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:SCHW traded up $0.59 on Friday, hitting $88.35. The stock had a trading volume of 11,834,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,402,122. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $80.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.38. The stock has a market cap of $160.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.55, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.90. The Charles Schwab Co. has a 1-year low of $61.01 and a 1-year high of $89.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

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

Charles Schwab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Charles Schwab's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.73%.

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.