Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders purchased 204,867 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 124% compared to the typical volume of 91,365 call options.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of JPM opened at $208.69 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $197.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.03. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a one year low of $135.19 and a one year high of $210.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $599.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.60, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.12.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 12th. The financial services provider reported $4.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $41.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.90 billion. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 20.05% and a return on equity of 17.79%. Equities research analysts forecast that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 16.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on JPM. Piper Sandler increased their price target on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $211.00 target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. StockNews.com upgraded JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $216.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $194.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ashley Bacon sold 5,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.54, for a total transaction of $1,014,860.44. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 212,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,355,358.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Ashley Bacon sold 5,086 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.54, for a total value of $1,014,860.44. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 212,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,355,358.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Stacey Friedman sold 4,415 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.65, for a total transaction of $885,869.75. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 42,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,452,180.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 250,565 shares of company stock valued at $46,962,717. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On JPMorgan Chase & Co.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JPM. Trust Co of the South increased its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 1.1% during the first quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 4,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $991,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 2,103 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. PFW Advisors LLC increased its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. PFW Advisors LLC now owns 5,232 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. raised its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 2.0% in the first quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. now owns 2,837 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $568,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, KFG Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 3.6% during the first quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,594 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $319,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.