SCHD ETF Review | Charles Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 03 2024
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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: 96.790
Low
91.00
Averages
116.64
High
148.00
Current: 96.790
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.
- Investment Education Advocacy: Charles Schwab & Co. invites firms across the financial services industry to participate in the second annual National Investing Day on May 1, aimed at enhancing public confidence in investing through education, emphasizing the importance of long-term investing and the role of education.
- Industry Collaboration Expansion: Schwab is expanding the initiative in collaboration with the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), aiming to empower individuals of all ages to make informed investment decisions through accessible investor education to achieve long-term goals.
- Commitment to Financial Literacy: This initiative builds on the Charles Schwab Foundation's long-standing commitment to advancing financial literacy through partnerships with nonprofits, providing educational resources focused on saving, investing, and wealth building to young people.
- Historical Context Review: National Investing Day is rooted in founder Charles Schwab's belief that investing is a pathway to financial freedom, with last year's inaugural event coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the SEC's elimination of fixed commission rates on May 1, 1975.
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- Investment Choice Analysis: In this episode, experts discuss the pros and cons of index funds, actively managed funds, and individual stocks, highlighting that index funds offer broad market exposure at extremely low fees (0.03%-0.04%), making them suitable for long-term investors, but lacking flexibility and high return potential.
- Cash vs. Bonds Selection: Experts note that the choice between cash and bonds should be based on individual risk tolerance and cash needs, with historical data showing bonds outperform cash by 1-2 percentage points annually, although recent bond performance has been poor, necessitating careful evaluation by investors.
- Tax Account Configuration: When discussing different investment accounts, experts emphasize the flexibility of taxable brokerage accounts, allowing investors to choose any investment type, while 401(k) accounts provide tax advantages and employer matching, making them suitable for long-term savings.
- Investment Strategy Recommendations: Experts advise investors to consider whether their investments are held in the right accounts, emphasizing placing high-growth potential assets in Roth IRAs to avoid future required minimum distributions (RMDs) and associated tax burdens.
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- Portfolio Foundations: In this episode, Motley Fool experts discuss the fundamentals of investment portfolios, emphasizing the low fees (0.03%-0.04%) and broad diversification of index funds, making them ideal for investors to reduce risk and enhance long-term return potential.
- Advantages of Actively Managed Funds: Actively managed funds offer the potential to outperform the market; despite higher management fees, investors can benefit from specialized investment strategies, making them suitable for those seeking specific investment styles.
- Flexibility of Individual Stocks: Investing in individual stocks allows investors complete control over their portfolios, enabling flexible adjustments based on market changes while also providing tax flexibility, as investors can choose when to sell to optimize tax burdens, thereby enhancing wealth growth potential.
- Importance of Account Selection: The episode highlights the pros and cons of different account types (such as taxable brokerage accounts, IRAs, and 401(k)s), advising investors to choose the appropriate accounts based on their financial situation and investment goals to maximize investment returns and tax efficiency.
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- Opportunity for Recovery: Historical data indicates that major indexes typically experience significant gains in the 12 to 36 months following corrections, particularly during the third year of a presidential term, suggesting investors should seize this moment.
- Market Performance Patterns: Analysis by Charles Schwab from 1933 to 2015 reveals that the average returns of the S&P 500 show weaker performance in the first two years of a presidential term, with rebounds often occurring in the third year, highlighting the importance of recognizing this cyclical trend.
- Timing the Market: While buying stocks during downturns can be intimidating for many investors, history shows that such periods of anxiety often precede strong recoveries, encouraging investors to remain patient and ready to act.
- Long-Term Investment Strategy: For long-term investors, the best time to buy is always “now,” as the value of time in the market outweighs the importance of timing, with historical evidence suggesting that holding investments long enough will yield positive returns.
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- Historical Return Analysis: According to Charles Schwab's analysis from 1933 to 2015, the average return for the S&P 500 in the third year of a presidential term was 13.5%, indicating that significant gains are typically available during this period, thus providing an optimistic market outlook ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections.
- Market Correction Opportunities: Recently, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite Index entered correction territory, and historical data shows that major index corrections are often followed by significant rebounds, as evidenced by the Nasdaq's nearly 44% return post-pandemic in 2020, highlighting investment opportunities amid uncertainty.
- Political Cycle Impact: The Presidential Election Cycle Theory suggests that the stock market tends to perform poorly in the first two years of a presidential term but usually rebounds in the third year, prompting investors to consider the potential policy changes and market stability that upcoming mid-term elections may bring, thus seizing investment opportunities.
- Long-Term Investment Strategy: Despite current market volatility, history indicates that investors who hold the Dow, Nasdaq, or S&P 500 for the long term will ultimately profit, making it particularly advantageous for those with cash on the sidelines to invest now.
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- Price Target Cut: Morgan Stanley analyst Michael Cyprys lowered Schwab's price target from $148 to $135, reflecting a cautious outlook on the overall profitability of the financial sector, although he maintains a buy rating, indicating confidence in the company's long-term prospects.
- Stock Price Movement: Following the announcement, Schwab's shares fell nearly 3% to $94.81, with a market cap of $170 billion, highlighting investor concerns about future profitability, particularly against a backdrop of reduced trading activity.
- Earnings Expectations: Morgan Stanley anticipates that Schwab and its peers will see only modest profitability improvements of 4% to 5% below consensus estimates for 2026 and 2027, reflecting a cautious stance on market activity levels.
- Market Sentiment: Despite the analyst's cautious outlook for Schwab, there are still views suggesting ample capital in the markets and a generally bullish investor sentiment, with Schwab stock seen as a buy opportunity unless a severe global economic slowdown occurs due to the Iran war.
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