Charles Schwab (SCHW, Financial) continues to execute on their differentiated strategy of providing low-cost financial services to mass affluent customers and advisors in the U.S. The Company continued to generate excellent and expanding pre-tax profit margins, relative to its large captive and independent competitors, despite aggressively lowering trading commissions earlier in the year, and launching low -cost index mutual funds in the most recent quarter. As Schwab attracts more assets to its banking and brokerage platforms, the Company’s overhead expense as a percentage of platform assets continues declining to what we calculate to be roughly 15 basis points per dollar of assets (trailing four quarters through the end of September). This overhead expense compares to the nearly 150 basis points of net interest margin available to the Company on almost $70 billion of client assets that they plan on transferring from money markets to the banking subsidiary over the next three years. Combined with a dramatically lower tax rate for the foreseeable future, we think Schwab has a unique opportunity to substantially grow its earnings base over the next several years.
From David Rolfe (Trades, Portfolio)'s fourth quarter 2017 shareholder commentary.
