JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) Trading 0.9% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) were up 0.9% on Friday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $277.00 to $305.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. traded as high as $234.34 and last traded at $231.79. Approximately 9,553,647 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the average daily volume of 9,616,510 shares. The stock had previously closed at $229.61.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on JPM. KGI Securities assumed coverage on JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report on Sunday, April 13th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. 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 research report on Thursday, January 16th. Baird R W upgraded JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com cut JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $273.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $255.67.

Insider Activity at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

In related news, COO Jennifer Piepszak sold 4,273 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.85, for a total value of $1,153,069.05. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 54,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,698,459.65. This represents a 7.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Troy L. Rohrbaugh sold 37,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.84, for a total transaction of $10,119,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 158,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,737,529.04. This represents a 19.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 73,545 shares of company stock worth $19,149,144. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JPM. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the first quarter worth about $33,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada acquired a new stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $655.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $243.79 and a 200 day moving average of $243.22.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $5.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.63 by $0.44. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a return on equity of 16.99% and a net margin of 20.96%. The business had revenue of $45.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.44 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 EPS for the current year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $1.40 per share. This is a boost from JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

About JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of financial and investment banking services. It focuses on investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. It operates through the following segments: Consumer and Community Banking (CCB), Commercial and Investment Bank (CIB), Asset and Wealth Management (AWM), and Corporate.