Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) Shares Down 0.5% After Insider Selling

The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW - Get Free Report) shares fell 0.5% on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $73.45 and last traded at $73.55. 999,034 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 7,613,958 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.95.

Specifically, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 59,906 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.78, for a total value of $4,479,770.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 61,038,701 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,564,474,060.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Peter B. Crawford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.76, for a total value of $518,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 29,611 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,917,608.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 59,906 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.78, for a total value of $4,479,770.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 61,038,701 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,564,474,060.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 514,459 shares of company stock worth $36,371,155 over the last three months. Insiders own 6.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SCHW has been the subject of several analyst reports. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Citigroup raised their target price on Charles Schwab from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Charles Schwab from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on Charles Schwab from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Charles Schwab from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.47.

Charles Schwab Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $132.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.01.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Charles Schwab's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.84%.

Institutional Trading of Charles Schwab

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Providence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Charles Schwab by 60.0% in the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 440 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Charles Schwab in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. 84.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.