Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) Q4 2025 Earnings call January 21, 2026 08:30 AM ET Company ParticipantsMike Verdeschi - CFOJeff Edwards - Head of Investor RelationsRick Wurster - President and CEOConference Call ParticipantsBill Katz - AnalystBrennan Hawken - AnalystStephen Turek - AnalystKen Worthington - AnalystAlex Blostein - Lead Capital Markets AnalystBrian Bedell - AnalystDevin Ryan - AnalystDan Fannon - AnalystBenjamin Budish - AnalystMike Brown - AnalystJeff EdwardsGood morning, everyone, and welcome to ...

Summary of Charles Schwab's 2026 Winter Business Update Company Overview - **Company**: Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) - **Event**: 2026 Winter Business Update - **Date**: January 21, 2026 Key Points Financial Performance - **Record Year**: 2025 was a record year for Schwab, with total net revenues reaching **$23.9 billion**, a **22% increase** from 2024 [3][4] - **Adjusted Earnings**: Adjusted earnings per share were **$4.87**, up **50%** year-over-year [4][24] - **Core Net New Assets (NNA)**: Schwab attracted **$519 billion** in core NNA, a **42% increase** over the previous year [3][42] - **New Accounts**: Clients opened **4.7 million** new brokerage accounts, a **13% increase** from 2024 [3] Client Engagement and Growth Strategies - **Client Engagement**: Supported **1.9 billion trades** and **30 million calls** to service centers, with **2.2 billion digital logins**, an **18% increase** from 2024 [6][8] - **Client Accounts**: Ended the year with over **46 million client accounts** and nearly **$12 trillion** in total client assets [9] - **Growth Levers**: Focus on attracting more clients and deepening relationships by serving more of their financial needs [10][12] Innovations and Services - **New Offerings**: Launched several new services, including Advisor ProDirect and a long-short separately managed accounts program [5] - **Acquisitions**: Entered an agreement to acquire Forge to enhance access to alternative investments and made a strategic investment in Carta [5][19] - **Wealth Management**: Expanded wealth services and improved capabilities in tax, trust, and estate planning [14][16] Market Position and Competitive Advantage - **Industry Leader**: Ranked number one among peers by total client assets and daily average trades, which reached **7.7 million** per day [9] - **Cost Efficiency**: Decreased cost per account by **20%** over the last five years, maintaining a competitive edge in expense on client assets [20][21] Future Outlook - **2026 Projections**: Anticipate total revenue growth of **9.5%-10.5%** and full-year organic asset growth of around **5%** [29][60] - **Interest Rates**: Expect interest rates to decrease, with a target Fed funds rate of **3.25%** by the end of 2026 [27] - **Earnings Growth**: Projected adjusted earnings of around **$5.70-$5.80**, representing upper teens year-over-year growth [32] Capital Management - **Capital Return**: Strong capital return strategy with **$11.8 billion** returned to shareholders in various forms [26][27] - **Tier 1 Ratio**: Adjusted Tier 1 leverage ratio finished at **7.1%**, above the target range of **6.75%-7%** [26][61] Additional Insights - **Client Demographics**: Average retail client age has decreased to the **40s**, with a significant portion of new clients being Gen Z [12][43] - **Lending Opportunities**: Significant growth potential in lending, with only **9%** penetration of Pledged Asset Line among ultra-high net worth clients [17][47] - **Alternative Investments**: Growing interest in alternative investments, with expectations of increased client engagement in this area [19][40] This summary encapsulates the key insights and data points from Charles Schwab's 2026 Winter Business Update, highlighting the company's strong performance, strategic initiatives, and future outlook.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) Q4 2025 Earnings call January 21, 2026 08:30 AM ET Speaker2Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Schwab's 2026 Winter Business Update. This is Jeff Edwards, Head of Investor Relations, and I'm joined in Westlake today by our President and CEO, Rick Wurster, as well as our CFO, Mike Verdeschi. During our time together this morning, the team will review 2025, a year where the business delivered growth across all fronts and discuss the growing set of opportunities we see to help cli ...

Core Insights - The core viewpoint of the article is that Charles Schwab's fourth-quarter performance slightly missed revenue expectations while achieving record client assets. Group 1: Financial Performance - Revenue for the fourth quarter was reported at $6.33 billion, which is slightly below analysts' expectations of $6.37 billion [1] - Adjusted earnings per share were $1.39, meeting the expected figure [1] Group 2: Client Assets - Total client assets reached a record high of $11.9 trillion by the end of the quarter [1]

Core Insights - U.S. brokerage firm Charles Schwab reported an increase in fourth-quarter profit, driven by higher interest income and robust trading revenue in a volatile market [1] Financial Performance - The rise in profit was attributed to increased interest income, indicating a favorable interest rate environment [1] - Strong trading revenue contributed significantly to the overall profit growth, reflecting active market participation by clients [1]

Winter Business Update January 21, 2026 Forward Looking Statements This presentation contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances and are identified by words such as "expect," "anticipate," "assume," "will," "continue," "support," "maintain," "prioriti ...

Core Insights - Individual investors significantly increased their trading activities in stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in 2025, which positively impacted brokerage firms' performance [1] Group 1: Trading Activity - The volume of trades executed by individual investors reached unprecedented levels in 2025, indicating a surge in retail participation in the market [1] - This increase in trading activity contributed to higher revenues for brokerages, showcasing the growing influence of individual investors on the financial markets [1] Group 2: Brokerage Performance - Brokerages reported improved financial results as a direct consequence of the heightened trading volumes from individual investors [1] - The trend reflects a broader shift in market dynamics, where retail investors are playing a more prominent role compared to institutional investors [1]

Core Insights - The Charles Schwab Corporation reported a net income of $2.5 billion for the fourth quarter, translating to earnings per share of $1.33 [1] Financial Performance - The reported net income of $2.5 billion indicates a strong financial performance for the fourth quarter [1] - Earnings per share stood at $1.33, reflecting the company's profitability during this period [1]

Market Overview - The U.S. stock market experienced significant declines, with over 70.7% of U.S. issues falling on Tuesday, while only 26.4% advanced [2] - The Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 dropped by 2.39% and 2.06% respectively, with the Dow and Russell 2000 also showing losses of 1.76% and 1.20% [3] Earnings Reports - Major earnings reports expected today include Johnson & Johnson, Charles Schwab, and Prologis, with a focus on regional banks reporting in both premarket and aftermarket sessions [5] - The S&P Regional Bank ETF ($KRE) is anticipated to be particularly responsive to these reports, having risen over 14% since its lows in November 2025 [6]

Core Insights - U.S. stock futures are trading higher, indicating a positive market sentiment for the day [1] Company Summaries - **Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ)**: Expected to report quarterly earnings of $2.46 per share on revenue of $24.16 billion. Shares fell 0.3% to $217.50 in after-hours trading [1] - **GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME)**: Shares rose after CEO Ryan Cohen disclosed the purchase of 500,000 additional shares at an average price of approximately $21.12 per share. Shares surged 3.7% to $21.88 in after-hours trading [1] - **Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL)**: Analysts expect quarterly earnings of 55 cents per share on revenue of $5.41 billion. Shares fell 0.2% to $32.01 in after-hours trading [1] - **Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX)**: Reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results but projected first-quarter revenue of $12.16 billion, slightly below the consensus estimate of $12.19 billion. Shares declined 4.8% to $82.84 in after-hours trading [1] - **Charles Schwab Corp. (NYSE: SCHW)**: Expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.39 per share on revenue of $6.37 billion. Shares rose 0.5% to $101.53 in after-hours trading [1]