JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $272.67 and last traded at $272.45, with a volume of 313939 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $270.43.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on JPM shares. Oppenheimer cut shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $257.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays raised their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $304.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $276.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $251.78.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Price Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $249.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $229.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $776.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.97, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.12.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $4.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.03 by $0.78. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 20.96% and a return on equity of 16.99%. The business had revenue of $42.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.04 earnings per share. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 17.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 6th were paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 25.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other JPMorgan Chase & Co. news, General Counsel Stacey Friedman sold 3,303 shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.94, for a total transaction of $838,763.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 47,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,092,622.80. The trade was a 6.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of JPM. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 38.5% in the 3rd quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of financial and investment banking services. The firm offers a range of investment banking products and services in all capital markets, including advising on corporate strategy and structure, capital raising in equity and debt markets, risk management, market making in cash securities and derivative instruments, and brokerage and research.