Banking, finance, and taxes

Sharp Drop in Legal Expenses Lifts J.P. Morgan Earnings

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JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) reported third-quarter results before markets opened Tuesday. The investment bank and financial services giant reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.36 on revenue of $24.25 billion. In the same period a year ago, Morgan reported an EPS loss of $0.17 on revenue of $23.12 billion. Third-quarter results also compare to the consensus estimates for EPS of $1.38 on revenue of $24.01 billion.

The bank’s results were supposed to be released at 7:00 a.m. ET Tuesday morning, but were posted several hours earlier on a third-party website, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Net income totaled $5.57 billion, which includes an after-tax charge of $1 billion for legal expenses. J.P. Morgan said the item cost shareholders $0.26 per share. In the third quarter of last year, the bank took a charge of $9.2 billion for one-time legal expenses.

Sequentially both revenues and profits were down, 1% and 7% respectively. For the year to date, revenues are down 2% compared with the same period a year ago, and net income is up 33% primarily due to a 16% reduction in non-interest expenses.

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Net income in the bank’s consumer and community banking division fell 9% year-over-year to $2.47 billion. The lower profit was due to higher provision for credit losses, partially offset by lower non-interest expenses and higher revenues.

The provision for credit losses this year was $902 million, compared with a gain of $267 million in the year-ago quarter. The actual allowance for loan losses fell by $200 million and total net charge-offs declined to $1.1 billion, compared with the year-ago quarter in which the allowance for loan losses totaled $1.6 billion and net charge-offs totaled $1.3 billion.

Net income in the mortgage banking group fell $266 million year-over-year to $439 million. Pretax income in the mortgage production group fell $16 million year-over-year to $74 million. Mortgage originations totaled $21.2 billion, down 48% year-over-year, but up 26% sequentially.

Bank CEO Jamie Dimon said:

While challenges remain in the global economic recovery, the U.S. economy is an exception, showing signs of steady improvement. Corporate America is in good shape with strong balance sheets and employment trends continue to be positive. JPMorgan continued to support the economic recovery. We provided credit and raised capital of $1.6 trillion for our clients during the first nine months of 2014, which included $15 billion for U.S. small businesses.

J.P. Morgan increased its Basel III Tier 1 common ratio to 10.1% in the third quarter.

The bank did not offer guidance in its press release, but the consensus estimates call for fourth-quarter EPS of $1.41 on revenues of $24.29 billion. The EPS estimate for the 2014 fiscal year is now $5.53, up $0.24 a share from the estimate at the end of the second quarter.

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We can expect questions on the conference call related to the health of Dimon, who recently completed cancer treatments, and more questions about the recent attack on the bank’s customer data.

Shares traded about 0.1% higher in the premarket Tuesday morning to $58.20. The current 52-week range is $51.30 to $61.85. Thomson Reuters had a consensus analyst price target of around $67.50 before the results were announced.

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