Company Profile (excerpt from Reuters): The Charles Schwab Corporation (CSC), incorporated on November 25, 1986, is a savings and loan holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, money management and financial advisory services. The Company provides financial services to individuals and institutional clients through two segments: Investor Services and Advisor Services. The Investor Services segment provides retail brokerage and banking services, retirement plan services and other corporate brokerage services. The Advisor Services segment provides custodial, trading, and support services as well as retirement business services. The Company’s subsidiaries include Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), which is a securities broker-dealer with over 335 domestic branch offices in 46 states, as well as a branch in each of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and London, England, and serves clients in Hong Kong through one of the Company’s subsidiaries, as of December 31, 2016; Charles Schwab Bank (Schwab Bank), which is a federal savings bank located in Nevada, and Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM), which is the investment advisor for Schwab’s mutual funds referred to as the Schwab Funds, and Schwab’s exchange-traded funds (ETFs), referred to as the Schwab ETFs.
Downloadable PDF version of this valuation:
ModernGraham Valuation of SCHW – March 2019
Stage 1: Is this company suitable for the Defensive Investor or the Enterprising Investor?
What kind of Intelligent Investor are you?
| Defensive Investor; must pass all 6 of the following tests. | ||||
| 1. Adequate Size of the Enterprise | Market Cap > $2Bil | $55,714,926,383 | Pass | |
| 2. Earnings Stability | Positive EPS for 10 years prior | Pass | ||
| 3. Dividend Record | Dividend Payments for 10 years prior | Pass | ||
| 4. Earnings Growth | Increase of 33% in EPS in past 10 years using 3 year averages at beginning and end | 279.10% | Pass | |
| 5. Moderate PEmg Ratio | PEmg < 20 | 19.89 | Pass | |
| 6. Moderate Price to Assets | PB Ratio < 2.5 OR PB*PEmg < 50 | 2.74 | Fail | |
| Enterprising Investor; must pass all 3 of the following tests, or be suitable for the Defensive Investor. | ||||
| 1. Earnings Stability | Positive EPS for 5 years prior | Pass | ||
| 2. Dividend Record | Currently Pays Dividend | Pass | ||
| 3. Earnings Growth | EPSmg greater than 5 years ago | Pass | ||
Stage 2: Determination of Intrinsic Value
| EPSmg | $2.10 |
| MG Growth Estimate | 15.00% |
| MG Value | $80.93 |
| Opinion | Undervalued |
| MG Grade | B- |
| MG Value based on 3% Growth | $30.48 |
| MG Value based on 0% Growth | $17.87 |
| Market Implied Growth Rate | 5.69% |
| Current Price | $41.80 |
| % of Intrinsic Value | 51.65% |
Charles Schwab Corporation Common Stock is suitable for the Enterprising Investor but not the more conservative Defensive Investor. The Defensive Investor is concerned with the high PB ratio. The Enterprising Investor has no initial concerns. As a result, all Enterprising Investors following the ModernGraham approach should feel comfortable proceeding with the analysis.
As for a valuation, the company appears to be Undervalued after growing its EPSmg (normalized earnings) from $0.89 in 2015 to an estimated $2.1 for 2019. This level of demonstrated earnings growth outpaces the market’s implied estimate of 5.69% annual earnings growth over the next 7-10 years. As a result, the ModernGraham valuation model, based on Benjamin Graham’s formula, returns an estimate of intrinsic value above the price.
At the time of valuation, further research into Charles Schwab Corporation Common Stock revealed the company was trading above its Graham Number of $28.09. The company pays a dividend of $0.46 per share, for a yield of 1.1% Its PEmg (price over earnings per share – ModernGraham) was 19.89, which was below the industry average of 21.22, which by some methods of valuation makes it one of the most undervalued stocks in its industry.
Charles Schwab Corporation Common Stock performs fairly well in the ModernGraham grading system, scoring a B-.
Stage 3: Information for Further Research
| Graham Number | $28.09 |
| PEmg | 19.89 |
| PB Ratio | 2.74 |
| Dividend Yield | 1.10% |
| TTM Dividend | $0.46 |
| Number of Consecutive Years of Dividend Growth | 3 |
Useful Links:
| ModernGraham tagged articles | Morningstar |
| Google Finance | MSN Money |
| Yahoo Finance | Seeking Alpha |
| GuruFocus | SEC Filings |
Most Recent Balance Sheet Figures
| Balance Sheet Information | 12/1/2018 |
| Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation | $6,878,000,000 |
| Total Assets | $296,482,000,000 |
| Intangible Assets | $1,379,000,000 |
| Total Liabilities | $275,812,000,000 |
| Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) | 1,355,000,000 |
Earnings Per Share History
| EPS History | |
| Next Fiscal Year Estimate | $2.65 |
| Dec2018 | $2.45 |
| Dec2017 | $1.61 |
| Dec2016 | $1.31 |
| Dec2015 | $1.03 |
| Dec2014 | $0.95 |
| Dec2013 | $0.78 |
| Dec2012 | $0.69 |
| Dec2011 | $0.70 |
| Dec2010 | $0.38 |
| Dec2009 | $0.68 |
| Dec2008 | $1.05 |
| Dec2007 | $1.97 |
| Dec2006 | $0.95 |
| Dec2005 | $0.55 |
| Dec2004 | $0.21 |
| Dec2003 | $0.35 |
| Dec2002 | $0.08 |
| Dec2001 | $0.14 |
| Dec2000 | $0.51 |
| Dec1999 | $0.49 |
Earnings Per Share – ModernGraham History
| EPSmg History | |
| Next Fiscal Year Estimate | $2.10 |
| Dec2018 | $1.71 |
| Dec2017 | $1.27 |
| Dec2016 | $1.05 |
| Dec2015 | $0.89 |
| Dec2014 | $0.78 |
| Dec2013 | $0.68 |
| Dec2012 | $0.65 |
| Dec2011 | $0.74 |
| Dec2010 | $0.84 |
| Dec2009 | $1.06 |
| Dec2008 | $1.15 |
| Dec2007 | $1.07 |
| Dec2006 | $0.56 |
| Dec2005 | $0.33 |
| Dec2004 | $0.23 |
| Dec2003 | $0.27 |
Recommended Reading:
Other ModernGraham posts about the company
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Disclaimer:
The author did not hold a position in any company mentioned in this article at the time of publication and had no intention of changing that position within the next 72 hours.  See my current holdings here.  This article is not investment advice; any reader should speak to a registered investment adviser prior to making any investment decisions.  ModernGraham is not affiliated with the company in any manner.  Please be sure to review our detailed disclaimer.
