JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $359.9583.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $350.00 target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $370.00 to $384.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $325.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th.

Key JPMorgan Chase & Co. News

Here are the key news stories impacting JPMorgan Chase & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan’s profitability and capital-return capacity remain major supports. Recent coverage highlighted approximately $16.9 billion in quarterly profit, with dividends consuming only a portion of earnings, leaving room for reinvestment, buybacks and future distributions. JPMorgan earnings and dividend coverage
• Positive Sentiment: The bank is expanding its European corporate-banking operations, including a reported 25% staffing increase and a push into Greece. The strategy could create additional lending, payments, investment-banking and cross-selling revenue over time. JPMorgan Greece expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with JPMorgan described as a well-capitalized bank trading at an attractive valuation relative to its earnings, scale and exposure to investment banking, asset management and higher interest rates. The average analyst rating is “Moderate Buy.” JPMorgan analyst sentiment
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider Robin Leopold sold 2,500 shares for approximately $882,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale reduced her direct holdings by 3.4%, but its planned nature makes it a limited signal about management’s outlook. JPMorgan insider transaction
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan strategists warned that the equity risk premium has fallen to its lowest level since 2002. The unusually narrow compensation for owning stocks instead of bonds could limit broad market upside and increase sensitivity to disappointing economic or earnings news. JPMorgan equity risk premium warning
• Negative Sentiment: The bank’s decision to contest pressure from the Trump administration may protect its independence but could bring additional litigation, regulatory and political costs. JPMorgan political and legal risks

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of JPM stock opened at $356.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $948.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.98. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a one year low of $279.10 and a one year high of $366.50. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $352.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $322.29.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The financial services provider reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.59 by $0.55. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a return on equity of 18.23% and a net margin of 21.86%.The company had revenue of $58.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $50.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.96 EPS. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s quarterly revenue was up 27.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 24.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Robin Leopold sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.81, for a total value of $882,025.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 71,047 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,066,092.07. This trade represents a 3.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Stacey Friedman sold 5,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.73, for a total transaction of $1,808,100.91. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 40,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,547,031.53. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 10,467 shares of company stock valued at $3,593,651 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On JPMorgan Chase & Co.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JPM. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 48,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,682,000 after purchasing an additional 4,841 shares in the last quarter. Acorns Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 6.9% during the first quarter. Acorns Advisers LLC now owns 1,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 10,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,185,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,475,000. Finally, Betterment LLC lifted its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 27.5% in the 2nd quarter. Betterment LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Company Profile

JPMorgan Chase & Co is a global financial services company headquartered in New York City. Through its businesses, the company provides banking, lending, payments, investment banking, asset management and wealth management services to consumers, businesses, institutional clients and governments.

The company operates through four primary business areas: Consumer & Community Banking; Commercial & Investment Banking; Asset & Wealth Management; and Corporate. Its offerings include deposit accounts, credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, business banking, commercial lending, treasury services, investment banking, securities trading, investment management and private banking.

JPMorgan Chase serves customers in the United States and maintains operations and client relationships across numerous international markets.