Alta Advisers Ltd Buys 1,424 Shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM)

Alta Advisers Ltd increased its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM - Free Report) by 18.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,324 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,424 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. accounts for 1.4% of Alta Advisers Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Alta Advisers Ltd's holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $2,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.55% of the company's stock.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Performance

JPMorgan Chase & Co. stock traded down $1.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $243.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,586,513 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,618,686. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $240.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $243.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.88. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 12-month low of $188.46 and a 12-month high of $280.25. The company has a market capitalization of $677.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.33, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.01.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $5.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $45.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.44 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. This is an increase from JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. KGI Securities assumed coverage on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Sunday, April 13th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Baird R W upgraded shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wolfe Research raised JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $269.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $273.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $255.67.

Insider Activity

In other JPMorgan Chase & Co. news, insider Robin Leopold sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.09, for a total value of $337,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 50,377 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,606,323.93. This trade represents a 2.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Jennifer Piepszak sold 4,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.03, for a total transaction of $1,055,312.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 50,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,400,164.91. The trade was a 7.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 73,545 shares of company stock worth $19,149,144. 0.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Profile

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.