JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) Short Interest Down 6.4% in October

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) was the target of a large decline in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 26,260,000 shares, a decline of 6.4% from the October 15th total of 28,070,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 8,630,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Price Performance

Shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. stock opened at $243.03 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $684.21 billion, a PE ratio of 13.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $220.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $210.92. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $151.92 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 11th. The financial services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.35. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 19.64% and a return on equity of 16.71%. The business had revenue of $43.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $41.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 17.62 EPS for the current year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. This is an increase from JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on JPM shares. Daiwa Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $240.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $217.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $232.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $217.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, JPMorgan Chase & Co. presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $229.31.

Institutional Trading of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,888,088,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,784,272 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,539,132,000 after buying an additional 4,043,841 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at $800,130,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 23.3% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 17,200,124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,445,185,000 after acquiring an additional 3,252,451 shares during the period. Finally, Wulff Hansen & CO. grew its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 19,920.7% in the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 2,801,503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $566,632,000 after acquiring an additional 2,787,510 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

About JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). The CCB segment offers deposit, investment and lending products, cash management, and payments and services; mortgage origination and servicing activities; residential mortgages and home equity loans; and credit cards, auto loans, leases, and travel services to consumers and small businesses through bank branches, ATMs, and digital and telephone banking.