Charles Schwab shares drop amid AI competition concerns
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jul 19 2024
0mins
Should l Buy SCHW?
Shares of Charles Schwab Corp (SCHW.N) fell sharply, hitting a 20-day low, as the company faced increased competition from Altruist's newly launched AI tax planning tool.
The decline of 6.4% in Schwab's stock reflects growing investor anxiety towards traditional financial firms, particularly as Altruist's AI features threaten to disrupt retail brokerage operations. This market turmoil is evident as other financial firms also experienced significant drops, indicating a broader concern about the impact of AI on legacy financial services.
The implications of this competition are profound, as Schwab must adapt to the evolving landscape of wealth management, where technology plays an increasingly critical role in client service and operational efficiency.
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Analyst Views on SCHW
Wall Street analysts forecast SCHW stock price to rise
16 Analyst Rating
14 Buy
1 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 93.080
Low
91.00
Averages
116.64
High
148.00
Current: 93.080
Low
91.00
Averages
116.64
High
148.00
About SCHW
The Charles Schwab Corporation is a savings and loan holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, 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, investment advisory, and banking and trust services to individual investors, and retirement plan and business services, as well as other corporate brokerage services, to businesses and their employees. The Advisor Services segment provides custodial, trading, banking and trust, and support services to independent registered investment advisors (RIAs), independent retirement advisors, and recordkeepers. Its products and services include brokerage, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), managed investing solutions, alternative investments, banking, and trust.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Stock Market Strengths: America’s stock market has various strengths, but it lacks in providing high dividends.
- Seeking High Yield: For investors looking for high yield and income, exploring international markets may be more beneficial.
See More
Introducing Hazel: The AI Tool That Triggered a Stock Market Decline
Market Reaction: Financial advisor Douglas Boneparth noted a significant selloff in wealth management stocks due to concerns over tax planning updates related to Altruist's AI tool.
AI Transformation: Boneparth highlighted that the wealth management industry is undergoing a transformation as AI technology, particularly through Altruist’s Hazel platform, begins to take hold.
See More
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- ServiceNow's Leadership: ServiceNow is demonstrating resilience and adaptability in the face of challenges faced by the software industry.
- Industry Impact: The company's strategies may serve as a model for other software firms struggling to navigate difficult market conditions.
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- Investment Management Software Potential: Mason Morfit of ValueAct disclosed his stake in BlackRock, highlighting the Aladdin platform's ability to automate investment decisions, which could significantly enhance portfolio management efficiency, reduce costs, and accelerate processes, showcasing its technological edge in investment management.
- Market Competitive Advantage: Morfit noted that BlackRock can reshape its image as merely an ETF manager through the Aladdin platform, leveraging technology integration to improve management efficiency and strengthen its competitive position against Vanguard, thereby solidifying its market presence.
- Industry Efficiency Issues: While Morfit acknowledged that his investment thesis might seem 'strange,' he emphasized the significant inefficiencies within the sector, creating a pressing need for a company to organize and streamline technology, with BlackRock's strengths in data and software positioning it well to address this need.
- Analyst Optimism: Despite BlackRock's shares dropping over 3% in February, most analysts maintain buy ratings, with expectations for the stock to rise over 23% in the next year, reflecting confidence in its long-term growth potential.
See More
Crypto Decline Hurts Robinhood and Coinbase Performance
- Crypto Price Decline: Eisman highlighted that the renewed decline in crypto prices is directly impacting the performance of Robinhood and Coinbase, as evidenced by Robinhood's recent misses on earnings, revenue, and net new assets, indicating a heavy reliance on the crypto market.
- Valuation Disparity for Robinhood: Eisman emphasized the stark valuation disparity between Robinhood and its established competitors, suggesting that the company has little room for error, and any missteps could severely affect its future growth prospects.
- Coinbase Faces Similar Challenges: Coinbase reported a 22% year-over-year revenue decline and also missed earnings per share expectations, with Eisman warning that as long as crypto prices continue to fall, Coinbase's stock price will remain under pressure, reflecting its close ties to the crypto market.
- Cautious Market Outlook: Eisman's commentary suggests a cautious outlook for companies closely linked to retail speculation and the highly cyclical crypto market, especially as Bitcoin has plunged over 45% from its record high, leading to significant declines in the stock prices of both Robinhood and Coinbase.
See More
Analysis of AI's Impact on Financial Stocks
- Wealth Management Risks: The rise of advanced AI advisory tools poses a significant threat to wealth management firms like Charles Schwab (SCHW) and Raymond James (RJF), as clients may shift to cheaper digital alternatives, putting long-term pressure on their fee-based revenue models and profit margins.
- Insurance Industry Challenges: The development of AI assessment algorithms threatens the insurance brokerage sector, with companies like Marsh McLennan (MRSH) and Aon (AON) potentially losing their intermediary value due to AI-driven comparison engines, leading to downward pressure on stock prices.
- Increased Competition for Small Banks: The allure of digital banking powered by AI makes it difficult for small banks to compete effectively, as they often lack the resources needed to thrive in an increasingly competitive market, posing significant challenges to their business models.
- Data Dependency Issues: Companies reliant on publicly available data, such as Nasdaq (NDAQ) and S&P Global (SPGI), are facing vulnerabilities in their business models, as evidenced by their recent stock price declines, which reflect market concerns about their future prospects.
See More
