Vest Financial LLC Purchases 6,289 Shares of The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW)

Vest Financial LLC raised its position in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW - Free Report) by 73.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,845 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,289 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $1,162,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCHW. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Charles Schwab during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Charles Schwab in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Investors Research Corp grew its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 75.2% during the 1st quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 559 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC increased its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 1,309.3% during the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 606 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the period. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 84.38% of the company's stock.

Charles Schwab Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:SCHW opened at $88.25 on Friday. 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 Charles Schwab Co. has a 52-week low of $61.01 and a 52-week high of $89.85. The company has a market capitalization of $160.35 billion, a PE ratio of 29.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a fifty day moving average of $81.74 and a 200-day moving average of $79.63.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW - Get Free Report) 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. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 30.31%. The business had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.74 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 4.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Charles Schwab's payout ratio is 32.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Charles Schwab news, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,290 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.68, for a total value of $288,467.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 39,154 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,433,022.72. The trade was a 7.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan M. Craig sold 9,559 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.00, for a total value of $783,838.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 97,608 shares of company stock valued at $8,392,040 in the last ninety days. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SCHW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Charles Schwab from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup raised Charles Schwab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $85.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $93.00 to $87.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Charles Schwab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $88.00 to $103.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.63.

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.

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