Traders Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW)

The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors bought 38,766 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 30% compared to the typical volume of 29,869 put options.

Charles Schwab Stock Performance

NYSE SCHW traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $89.53. The company had a trading volume of 6,012,073 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,135,080. The business has a 50 day moving average of $90.46 and a 200-day moving average of $95.24. The company has a market cap of $155.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.77. Charles Schwab has a 1-year low of $83.96 and a 1-year high of $107.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.62.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.04. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 23.05% and a net margin of 37.99%.The business had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Charles Schwab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.700-5.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Charles Schwab will post 6.14 EPS for the current year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. Charles Schwab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles Schwab

In other news, insider Nigel J. Murtagh sold 41,297 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $4,088,403.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 57,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,739,228. This trade represents a 41.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 7,942 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $778,316.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 29,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,926,868. This trade represents a 21.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 59,700 shares of company stock valued at $5,889,131 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles Schwab

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 1.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 73,156,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,984,231,000 after acquiring an additional 691,671 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Charles Schwab by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,667,640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,747,646,000 after purchasing an additional 98,242 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Charles Schwab by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 30,184,369 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,015,720,000 after purchasing an additional 78,020 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its position in Charles Schwab by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 23,276,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,325,512,000 after purchasing an additional 2,066,884 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Charles Schwab by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,818,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,179,888,000 after purchasing an additional 171,926 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on SCHW. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods began coverage on Charles Schwab in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Argus set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $122.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $116.00.

Charles Schwab News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Charles Schwab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Charles Schwab reported record core net new assets in May and total client assets hit an all-time high, while the company also rolled out new digital trading tools, including 24/7 cryptocurrency futures trading and added analytics features. Charles Schwab (SCHW) Hits Record Client Assets As New Trading Tools Roll Out
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to point to upside potential for SCHW, with average price targets suggesting meaningful gains and recent model updates lifting fair value slightly after investor day revisions. Charles Schwab (SCHW) Stock Sees Modest Fair Value Lift After Investor Day Revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings commentary suggests analysts expect double-digit earnings growth when Schwab reports second-quarter results, which could support sentiment if results confirm those expectations. Earnings Preview: What to Expect From Charles Schwab’s Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles compare SCHW with Robinhood as a value stock, which may keep attention on valuation but does not by itself change fundamentals. SCHW vs. HOOD: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Neutral Sentiment: Schwab disclosed the results of the Federal Reserve’s 2026 CCAR review, which is an important regulatory update but was not presented as a major surprise in the articles provided. Charles Schwab Discloses Results of the Federal Reserve’s 2026 Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review
• Negative Sentiment: Traders bought an unusually high volume of put options on SCHW, signaling some hedging or bearish positioning ahead of earnings. Unusual options trading activity on Friday

Charles Schwab Company Profile

Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCHW) is a diversified financial services firm that provides brokerage, banking, wealth management and advisory services to individual investors, independent investment advisors and institutional clients. Its primary offerings include retail brokerage accounts, online trading platforms, Schwab-branded mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), retirement plan services, custodial services for independent Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), and banking products through Charles Schwab Bank.