Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC Takes Position in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW)

Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC bought a new position in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,133 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SCHW. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its position in Charles Schwab by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 6,247 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,522 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $557,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC lifted its stake in Charles Schwab by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV boosted its holdings in Charles Schwab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 4,763 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in Charles Schwab by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 11,236 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $832,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.38% of the company's stock.

Charles Schwab Price Performance

Shares of SCHW traded up $0.90 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $88.06. 8,619,343 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,425,112. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $78.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.14. 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 $159.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.90. The Charles Schwab Co. has a 12-month low of $61.01 and a 12-month high of $88.37.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 18.20% and a net margin of 30.31%. The company had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.74 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Charles Schwab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on SCHW. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Charles Schwab from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on Charles Schwab from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $96.00 to $84.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.33.

Insider Transactions at Charles Schwab

In related news, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,380 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 57,818 shares in the company, valued at $4,586,123.76. This trade represents a 5.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Frank C. Herringer sold 3,592 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $266,741.92. Following the transaction, the director now owns 172,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,784,750.12. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,412 shares of company stock valued at $3,014,797. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

About Charles Schwab

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.