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IBKR vs. SCHW: Interactive Brokers vs. Charles Schwab Stock Comparison

How do Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) are both classified in the Investment Banking & Brokerage sub-industry within the broader Capital Markets industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
Profile ItemIBKRSCHW
NameInteractive Brokers Group, Inc. Class A Common StockThe Charles Schwab Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization129.19 billion USD158.22 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateMay 4, 2007September 22, 1987
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

IBKR
SCHW
GSPC
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricIBKRSCHW
Total Return (1Y)11.53%-0.80%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)57.15%21.35%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)34.54%4.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

IBKR
SCHW
GSPC
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricIBKRSCHW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)40.72%26.01%
Beta (5Y)1.370.74
Max Drawdown (5Y)-38.66%-49.70%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.24M8.22M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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IBKR and SCHW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricIBKRSCHW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.18-0.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.26-0.26

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 23.67% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 21.12% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for IBKR.

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

23.67%

Max
44.78%
IBKR
23.67%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

21.12%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
SCHW
21.12%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 39.33% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 16.68%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

16.68%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
IBKR
16.68%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

39.33%

Max
62.84%
SCHW
39.33%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 77.70% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 52.67%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

77.70%

Max
107.33%
IBKR
77.70%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

52.67%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
SCHW
52.67%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricIBKRSCHW
ROE (TTM)23.67%21.12%
ROA (TTM)2.28%2.16%
Net Margin (TTM)16.68%39.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)77.70%52.67%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 9.73% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 22.01% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 55.52% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 28.14% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for SCHW.

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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricIBKRSCHW
Revenue Growth (YoY)9.73%22.01%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)34.60%4.83%
EPS Growth (YoY)28.14%55.52%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)33.29%9.93%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Interactive Brokers (IBKR) in Financial Services and Charles Schwab (SCHW) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Interactive Brokers (IBKR) in Financial Services and Charles Schwab (SCHW) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricIBKRSCHW
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 0.46% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 1.33% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

0.46%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
IBKR
0.46%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

1.33%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
SCHW
1.33%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 12.79% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 21.03% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

12.79%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
IBKR
12.79%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

21.03%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
SCHW
21.03%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricIBKRSCHW
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.46%1.33%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)12.79%21.03%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 15.64 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 28.94 sits in the richer quartile — IBKR needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

28.94

Max
45.85
IBKR
28.94
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

15.64

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
SCHW
15.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 5.85 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 18.30 prices even higher, above its industry range.

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

18.30

IBKR
18.30
Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

5.85

Max
9.23
SCHW
5.85
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 3.08 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Interactive Brokers (IBKR) at 5.53 carries an above-peer premium to book — IBKR is pricier on assets.

IBKR

Financial Services industry group

5.53

Max
7.79
IBKR
5.53
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

3.08

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
SCHW
3.08
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Interactive Brokers (IBKR) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricIBKRSCHW
P/E Ratio (TTM)28.9415.64
P/S Ratio (TTM)18.305.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.533.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----