NS Partners Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM)

Key Points

• NS Partners Ltd increased its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 1.4%, now owning 176,708 shares valued at $43.35 million, making it a notable part of their investment portfolio.
• The stock of JPMorgan Chase & Co. has shown strong performance, currently valued at $290.49, with a market capitalization of $798.77 billion and an EPS of $4.96 which exceeded expectations.
• JPMorgan Chase recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.40 per share, translating to an annual yield of 1.9%, with a dividend payout ratio of 28.73%.

NS Partners Ltd raised its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM - Free Report) by 1.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 176,708 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,438 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. makes up 1.9% of NS Partners Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. NS Partners Ltd's holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $43,346,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of JPM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in 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 worth $11,682,000 after acquiring an additional 4,841 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 192,182 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,068,000 after acquiring an additional 1,229 shares in the last quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 13,623 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,893 shares in the last quarter. KKM Financial LLC boosted its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 16,854 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,040,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cohen & Steers Inc. boosted its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 3,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $747,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.55% of the company's stock.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Performance

JPM stock traded down $2.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $290.49. 8,416,683 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,127,799. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 52-week low of $200.61 and a 52-week high of $301.29. The stock has a market cap of $798.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.90, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock's 50-day moving average is $285.29 and its 200 day moving average is $263.25.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $4.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.48 by $0.48. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 20.52% and a return on equity of 16.93%. The business had revenue of $44.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.12 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 EPS for the current year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.40 per share. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $305.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI set a $298.00 target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $320.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Citigroup set a $275.00 target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $288.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, General Counsel Stacey Friedman sold 2,821 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.71, for a total value of $749,567.91. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 68,757 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,269,422.47. This represents a 3.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Jennifer Piepszak sold 6,128 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.47, for a total transaction of $1,608,416.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 62,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,392,563.85. This trade represents a 8.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,557 shares of company stock valued at $4,113,796. 0.47% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.