Updating J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

Article Excerpt

J.P. MORGAN CHASE & CO. $115 (New York symbol JPM; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 3.4 billion; Market cap: $391.0 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.jpmorganchase.com) is the largest banking firm in the U.S., with total assets of $2.6 trillion as of June 30, 2018. The bank recently received approval from the U.S. Federal Reserve to increase its quarterly dividend. Starting October 2018, that payment will rise 42.9%, to $0.80 a share from $0.56. The new annual rate of $3.20 yields 2.8%. The Federal Reserve also approved Morgan’s plan to buy back up to $20.7 billion in common shares by June 30, 2019. Meantime, revenue in the quarter ended June 30, 2018 improved 6.5%, to $28.4 billion from $26.7 billion a year earlier. Overall earnings increased 18.3%, to $8.3 billion from $7.0 billion. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share gained 25.8%, to $2.29 from $1.82. Despite higher interest rates, Morgan continues to see strong demand for new consumer…