JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) Trading 1.7% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) traded up 1.7% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $362.85 and last traded at $362.11. Approximately 5,007,900 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 47% from the average daily volume of 9,385,148 shares. The stock had previously closed at $356.22.

Key Stories Impacting JPMorgan Chase & Co.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Hiring strengthens JPMorgan’s healthcare investment-banking franchise. The bank reportedly hired senior healthcare banker David Blais from Guggenheim Securities, adding industry expertise and potentially supporting advisory and capital-markets revenue. JPMorgan hires healthcare banker David Blais from Guggenheim
• Positive Sentiment: Persistent inflation could keep interest rates elevated. JPMorgan and BNP Paribas now expect another European Central Bank rate increase in December. Higher rates can support net interest income, although they may also weigh on loan demand and markets activity. JPMorgan and BNP Paribas expect ECB rate hike
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan’s rate outlook conflicts with market pricing. A senior JPMorgan strategist expects no U.S. rate increase for the remainder of the year, while futures markets reportedly assign meaningful odds to a hike. The disagreement increases uncertainty around bank valuations, bond trading and interest income. No increase in interest rates anytime this year
• Neutral Sentiment: A strong labor market is a mixed development. Reports of 162,000 new jobs may support loan demand and interest income, but they also raise the possibility of higher-for-longer rates, increased credit costs and valuation pressure for financial stocks. JPMorgan falls even as 162,000 jobs revive higher rates
• Negative Sentiment: Reduced financing for Jane Street highlights competitive pressure. JPMorgan reportedly scaled back financing to the quantitative trading firm as Jane Street expands in U.S. Treasury market-making, underscoring competition from nonbank firms in fixed-income markets. JPMorgan scales back Jane Street financing
• Negative Sentiment: Legal exposure remains an overhang. JPMorgan is seeking to stay a $20 million fee order related to the Javice litigation, keeping attention on litigation costs and reputational risk. JPMorgan seeks stay of $20M Javice, Amar fee order

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JPM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $370.00 to $384.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $391.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, JPMorgan Chase & Co. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $359.96.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trading Down 1.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $952.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.35, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.98. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $349.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $320.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The financial services provider reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.59 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $58.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $50.72 billion. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 21.86% and a return on equity of 18.23%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 24.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Stacey Friedman sold 5,467 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.73, for a total value of $1,808,100.91. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 40,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,547,031.53. This represents a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Robin Leopold sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.41, for a total transaction of $903,525.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 73,547 shares in the company, valued at $26,580,621.27. This trade represents a 3.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 48,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,682,000 after purchasing an additional 4,841 shares during the last quarter. Acorns Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 6.9% in the first quarter. Acorns Advisers LLC now owns 1,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC increased its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 0.7% during the second quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 10,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,185,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,475,000. Finally, Betterment LLC raised its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 27.5% during the second quarter. Betterment LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

About JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) is a diversified global financial services firm headquartered in New York City. The company provides a wide range of banking and financial products and services to consumers, small businesses, corporations, governments and institutional investors worldwide. Its operations span retail banking, commercial lending, investment banking, asset management, payments and card services, and treasury and securities services.

The firm’s principal business activities are organized across several core lines: Consumer & Community Banking, which offers deposit accounts, mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and branch and digital banking under the Chase brand; Corporate & Investment Banking, which provides capital markets, advisory, underwriting, trading and risk management services; Commercial Banking, delivering lending, treasury and capital solutions to middle-market and corporate clients; and Asset & Wealth Management, which offers investment management, private banking and retirement services to institutions and high-net-worth individuals.