What To Expect From JPMorgan Stock?

[Updated 02/11/2022] JPMorgan Update

JPMorgan stock (NYSE: JPM) decreased 2% YTD and at its current price of $156 per share, it has an upside potential of 11% to its fair value of $173 – Trefis’ estimate for JPMorgan’s valuation. While the bank did manage to edge past the consensus estimates in the fourth quarter, the total revenues of $29.3 billion were at the same level as the year-ago figure. It was because of a 4% y-o-y drop in the consumer & community banking unit, which overshadowed the 16% growth in the asset & wealth management, and a 6% rise in the commercial banking divisions. Notably, the corporate & investment bank segment posted a meager 2% y-o-y increase due to a 16% decline in the fixed income markets. Further, the adjusted net income declined 15% y-o-y to $9.9 billion in the quarter driven by an increase in non-interest expenses as a % of revenues from 55% to 61%. 

The bank’s total revenue of $121.6 in FY2021 is slightly ahead of the 2020 figure. It posted a 19% y-o-y growth in the asset & wealth management business, followed by a 7% increase in commercial banking, and a 5% rise in the corporate & investment bank divisions. However, it was almost offset by a 2% drop in the consumer & community banking unit and lower treasury & CIO revenues. While the corporate & investment bank’s revenues grew 26% y-o-y in 2020, the growth rate suffered in 2021 due to a 19% decrease in the fixed income markets category. Further, the consumer & community banking revenues were down due to interest rate headwinds, lower loan growth, and a decrease in mortgage banking fees, partially offset by an improvement in consumer spending levels. That said, the asset & wealth management unit primarily grew due to higher Assets under Management (AuM) – AuM increased 18% y-o-y to $4.3 trillion. 

Moving forward, we expect the Fed to do multiple rate hikes in 2022, benefiting the net interest income. Further, the asset & wealth management business is expected to maintain the growth momentum in the year. That said, the sales & trading revenues are likely to normalize in the subsequent quarters, with recovery in the economy. Overall, JPMorgan Revenues are likely to touch $124.2 billion in FY2022. Additionally, the bank’s adjusted net income margin significantly improved in 2021, thanks to the favorable decrease in the provisions for credit losses. We expect the adjusted net income margin to normalize in 2022, resulting in an annual EPS of $11.85. This coupled with the P/E multiple of just below 15x will lead to a valuation of roughly $173.

Below you’ll find our previous coverage of JPMorgan stock where you can track our view over time.

[Updated 12/02/2021] JPMorgan Stock Has Limited Upside

JPMorgan stock (NYSE: JPM) gained 24% YTD, and at its current price of $158 per share, it is trading 8% below its fair value of $172 – Trefis’ estimate for JPMorgan’s valuation. The bank outperformed the consensus estimates in the recently released third-quarter results, with total revenues increasing by 2% y-o-y to $29.6 billion. This could be attributed to a 7% y-o-y increase in the Corporate & Investment Banking segment, followed by a 21% jump in asset and wealth management, and a 10% rise in commercial banking divisions. However, the above growth was partially offset by a 3% drop in Consumer & Community Banking segments. Further, the adjusted net income improved 25% y-o-y to $11.2 billion in the quarter, after the firm released $2.1 billion in reserves and had $524 million of charge-offs in the quarter. 

Despite a 26% y-o-y growth in the corporate and investment bank segment, the bank’s revenues grew just 4% y-o-y in 2020. It was mainly due to weak core-banking revenues driven by lower net interest income and a drop in consumer spending levels. Further, the nine-month cumulative revenues in 2021 have increased 2% y-o-y to $92.4 billion. It was because of a 6% y-o-y increase in the corporate & investment bank unit, followed by an 8% growth in commercial banking and a large 20% jump in the asset & wealth management business. The asset & wealth management division benefited from strong cumulative net fund inflows and higher net investment valuation gains. That said, the growth was partially offset by a 2% y-o-y drop in the consumer and community banking unit, mainly due to lower net interest income. We expect the same trend to continue in the fourth quarter, enabling JPMorgan Revenues to touch $124.3 billion for FY2021. Additionally, the bank’s adjusted net income margin in FY2021 is likely to see a significant improvement, thanks to the favorable decrease in the provisions for credit losses. Notably, the provisions figure for the first nine months of this year declined from $19.4 billion to -$8 billion. This will likely result in an adjusted net income of $45 billion and an EPS of $15.23. This coupled with the P/E multiple of just above 11x will lead to a valuation of roughly $172.

[Updated 08/17/2021] At $159, JPMorgan Stock Has Limited Growth Potential

JPMorgan stock (NYSE: JPM) gained roughly 25% YTD, and at its current price of $159 per share, it is trading 4% below its fair value of $166 – Trefis’ estimate for JPMorgan’s valuation. The bank recently released its second-quarter 2021 results, with both earnings and revenues topping the estimates. It reported total revenues of $30.5 billion in the quarter – down 8% y-o-y, driven by a 19% y-o-y drop in the corporate & investment banking segment due to lower trading revenues, partially offset by growth in the investment banking business. This decrease was somewhat offset by a 20% growth in the asset & wealth management division, thanks to a 25% y-o-y increase in total client assets to $4 trillion. Notably, the consumer banking and commercial banking units also witnessed slight growth in Q2, despite continued weakness in net interest income due to interest rate headwinds. Further, JPM’s adjusted net interest income increased almost 180% on a year-on-year basis to $11.5 billion, mainly because of a loan-loss reserve release of $3 billion. 

The bank reported revenues of $119.5 billion in 2020, which was 4% higher than the 2019 figure. While the corporate & investment bank unit did post a 26% y-o-y growth driven by higher sales & trading and investment banking revenues, the firm was not able to capitalize on it, as weak core banking revenues almost nullified the positive impact. The core banking revenues suffered due to lower net interest income and a drop in consumer spending levels. Notably, the asset and wealth management business grew 5% y-o-y driven by positive asset growth. Further, the same trend continued in the first quarter of 2021 also, with the bank reporting 14% y-o-y growth in the top-line. However, the second quarter of 2021 results saw some negative growth in the revenues due to a decline in the corporate & investment bank segment, which was the main revenue driver for the bank over the recent quarters. Moving forward, we expect the consumer and community banking units to see stagnant growth in the year due to interest rate headwinds. Further, the corporate & investment bank revenues are likely to normalize over the subsequent quarters, with improvement in the economy. That said, the wealth and asset management segment will likely drive growth in the year. Overall, this will enable JPMorgan Revenues to touch $120.7 billion for FY2021. Additionally, the bank’s adjusted net income is likely to receive a big boost in the year due to a favorable decrease in provisions for credit losses. Further, JPM has increased its common stock dividend from $0.90 per share to $1.00 from the third quarter, in addition to the announcement of a share repurchase plan of $30 billion in December 2020, valid for an indefinite time frame. This will increase the EPS from $8.88 to $11.63 in the year, which coupled with the P/E multiple of just above 14x will lead to a valuation of roughly $166.

[Updated 07/02/2021] JPMorgan Stock To Increase Its Dividend From Q3

JPMorgan stock (NYSE: JPM) gained roughly 24% YTD, and at its current price of $157 per share, it is trading 4% below its fair value of $163 – Trefis’ estimate for JPMorgan’s valuation. The bank announced on 28 June that it has completed the Federal Reserve’s 2021 Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (“CCAR”) stress test process, which is conducted every year to assess, regulate, and supervise large banks and financial institutions. Notably, the Fed imposed some restrictions on dividends and share buybacks by the large banks last year, due to the economic slowdown. However, all the banks which are part of the annual stress test exercise 2021 were able to successfully clear it. Hence, JPMorgan expects to increase the quarterly common stock dividend to $1.00 per share (up from the current $0.90 per share) for the third quarter of 2021 (subject to approval by the Board of Directors). Further, JPM announced a $30 billion share repurchase plan in December 2020, valid for an indefinite time frame.

The full-year 2020 revenues of $119.5 billion were slightly higher than the 2019 figure. This was driven by a significant jump in the corporate & investment bank segment due to higher investment banking and sales & trading revenues, partially offset by lower revenues in the consumer & community banking segment. The segment suffered due to a 10% y-o-y decrease in the net interest income (NII) driven by a lower interest rate environment and a decline in outstanding loans. Further, the same trend continued in the first quarter of FY2021 as well, with the bank posting a 46% y-o-y rise in corporate & investment bank revenues and a 6% drop in the community and consumer banking segment. Additionally, the bank’s non-interest income from core banking operations saw some improvement in the first quarter and we expect it to continue over the coming months. That said, growth in the corporate & investment bank is expected to normalize in the subsequent quarters with recovery in the economy. Further, the low-interest rates will likely stay below the pre-Covid-19 levels for some more time. Overall, this will restrict JPMorgan Revenues to $119.5 billion for FY2021. While the revenues are expected to remain stagnant in 2021, the bank’s profitability figures are likely to receive a big boost in the year due to a favorable decrease in provisions for credit losses. We expect the bank’s EPS figure to increase from $8.88 to $10.95 in the year, which coupled with the P/E multiple of close to 15x will lead to a valuation of roughly $163.

[Updated 05/12/2021] At $159, JPMorgan Stock Has A Limited Upside

JPMorgan stock (NYSE: JPM), the largest bank in the U.S. in terms of total assets, gained roughly 25% – increasing from about $127 at the beginning of 2021 to around $159 currently, outperforming the S&P500, which grew 11% over the same period. 

There were three clear reasons for this: First, the approval of the $1.9 trillion stimulus check plan. Second, an accelerated Covid-19 vaccination drive in the U.S – 46.2% of the total U.S population has now received at least one dose. Third, the Fed has decided to maintain its benchmark rate near zero, which is expected to continue for a couple of years.

But is this all there is to the story? 

Not quite, despite the recent gains, Trefis estimates JPMorgan’s valuation to be around $163 per share – slightly above the current market price – based on one key opportunity and one risk factor.

The opportunity we see is an improved trajectory for JPMorgan Revenue over the subsequent quarters. JPMorgan reported full-year 2020 revenues of $119.5 billion – 4% higher than the 2019 figure, mainly due to a 26% growth in the corporate & investment bank segment, partially offset by a 7% y-o-y drop in the consumer & community banking unit. The growth in corporate & investment bank was driven by a 39% jump in sales & trading and a 25% rise in investment banking revenues, due to the impact of the higher trading volumes and underwriting deals, respectively. Further, the consumer & community banking segment suffered in the year due to a 10% decline in the net interest income (NII) driven by the lower interest rate environment and a decrease in outstanding loans, followed by a drop in card purchase volumes due to lower consumer spending levels. Notably, the segment contributed roughly 43% of the total revenues in 2020 – down from 48% in 2019. 

The same momentum continued in the first-quarter FY2021 as well, with JPM reporting 14% y-o-y growth in revenues to $32.3 billion. It posted a 46% rise in corporate & investment bank revenues driven by growth in investment banking (mainly equity underwriting) and sales & trading businesses. Further, on the same lines as 2020, the community and consumer banking revenues suffered a 6% y-o-y drop in the quarter. It was primarily due to a 14% decline in NII, partially offset by a 12% growth in non-interest income. The recovery in non-interest income was due to growth in average deposits, client investment assets, and card purchase volume, which is likely to continue in the subsequent quarters. Notably, the bank has seen continuous growth in Assets under Management (AuM) over the recent quarters, which touched $2.8 trillion in Q1 – up 4% sequentially, benefiting its asset & wealth management segment. That said, growth in corporate & investment bank is tied to higher trading volumes and underwriting deal volumes, which are expected to normalize in the coming months. But, till then, the segment will likely drive its quarterly results. Further, the low-interest rates are likely to continue for some more time, pressuring NII. However, the recovery in consumer demand and continuous growth in AuM will benefit JPM’s top-line. Overall, we expect JPM’s revenues to remain around $119.5 billion for FY2021.

JPM’s net income margin is likely to improve in FY2021 from 22.9% to 27.3% due to the positive effect of lower provision for credit losses. Markedly, the bank released the loan loss reserve of $5.2 billion in the first quarter, resulting in a net provision figure of -$4.2 billion. Altogether, it is likely to result in an EPS of $10.95 for the year, which coupled with the P/E multiple of just above 15x will lead to a valuation of around $163.

Finally, how much should the market pay per dollar of JPMorgan earnings? Well, to earn close to $10.95 per year from a bank, you’d have to deposit about $1095 in a savings account today, so about 100x the desired earnings. At JPMorgan’s current share price of roughly $159, we are talking about a P/E multiple of just above 14x. And we think a figure closer to 15x will be appropriate.

That said, banking is a risky business right now. Growth looks less promising in core banking, and near-term prospects are less than rosy. What’s behind that?

Although the bank has reduced its provisions for loan losses over the recent quarters, signaling some improvement in the loan repayment capability of its customers, the repayment capability is directly linked to the health of the economy. If the economic conditions deteriorate, the bank is likely to face significant loan defaults – JPMorgan has a loan portfolio of around $434 billion in consumer & community banking and $207 billion in commercial banking ( as per Q1 FY2021 figures). Additionally, the low-interest-rate environment will likely hurt the NII of the bank. To sum things up, we believe that JPMorgan stock is slightly undervalued and offers limited upside. 

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[1] Month-to-date and year-to-date as of 2/11/2022
[2] Cumulative total returns since the end of 2016

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