Dividend increase: J.P. Morgan Chase

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J.P. MORGAN CHASE & CO. $88 (New York symbol JPM; Conservative Growth Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares o/s: 3.6 billion; Market cap: $316.8 billion;; Dividend yield: 2.3%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.jpmorganchase.com) is the largest banking firm in the U.S., with assets of $2.5 trillion as of March 31, 2017. Starting with the April 2017 payment, the bank raised its quarterly dividend by 4.2%, to $0.50 a share from $0.48. The new annual rate of $2.00 yields 2.3%. In the first quarter of 2017, Morgan earned $6.4 billion, up 16.8% from $5.5 billion a year earlier. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share for the bank jumped 22.2%, to $1.65 from $1.35. Revenue rose 6.2%, to $25.6 billion from $24.1 billion. Gains from corporate banking and securities-trading offset weaker results for consumer banking op erations. In the latest quarter, Morgan set aside $1.3 billion to cover potential bad loans, down 27.9% from $1.8 billion a year earlier. That’s mainly because higher…