The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW) Shares Sold by Verdence Capital Advisors LLC

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,671 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 601 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. CRA Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Charles Schwab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Grandfield & Dodd LLC acquired a new position in Charles Schwab during the fourth quarter worth $248,000. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its holdings in Charles Schwab by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,463,184 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $169,467,000 after acquiring an additional 108,332 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Charles Schwab during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Institute for Wealth Management LLC. grew its holdings in Charles Schwab by 28.2% during the fourth quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 7,108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $489,000 after acquiring an additional 1,562 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonathan M. Craig sold 4,977 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.01, for a total value of $348,439.77. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 81,446 shares in the company, valued at $5,702,034.46. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Carolyn Schwab-Pomerantz sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.29, for a total transaction of $587,610.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 585,057 shares in the company, valued at $38,198,371.53. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan M. Craig sold 4,977 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.01, for a total value of $348,439.77. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 81,446 shares in the company, valued at $5,702,034.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 299,892 shares of company stock worth $20,325,334 over the last three months. 6.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SCHW shares. StockNews.com raised Charles Schwab from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Charles Schwab from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on Charles Schwab from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Charles Schwab from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Charles Schwab in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Charles Schwab currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.47.

Charles Schwab Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:SCHW opened at $75.24 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The Charles Schwab Co. has a 52-week low of $45.65 and a 52-week high of $75.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.52. The company has a market capitalization of $133.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.01.

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.