Banking, finance, and taxes

Serious Valuation Concerns Arise in JPMorgan

As one of the largest banks in the U.S., JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) commands a strong position in the financial sector, and it is a staple of many portfolios. However, one key analyst sees a rougher time ahead for this mega bank. Oppenheimer lowered its rating on JPMorgan to Perform from Outperform and removed its price target of $81.

On a fundamental basis, the brokerage firm expects few surprises in the second quarter. Net interest, fee and trading revenues are estimated to all be relatively flat year over year. Based on the Federal Reserve’s recent commentary, Oppenheimer did push the “bottom” in the net interest margin out from the second quarter to the third quarter, and this leads to modest trims in estimates, but overall Oppenheimer doesn’t think it really matters.

Within the financial group, Oppenheimer’s favorites remain the “much hated” mega banks (Bank of America and Citigroup) and the card companies (Capital One and Discover). There is still modest upside potential relative to the market in JPMorgan, but not enough to warrant an Outperform rating at this time, in our view.

The move has left the group’s valuation at a relative multiple to the S&P of about 72%, very close to its historical (1995 to 2005) average of 73%. The group is not expensive, and one should still be relatively fully weighted, but its valuation is largely baking in the benefit of rising rates in 2016.

ALSO READ: The Banks Making the Most From Overdraft and ATM Fees

According to Oppenheimer:

Net interest and fee revenues have essentially been flat since mid-2011, and the only core earnings growth has come from a steady decline in credit losses and core operating expenses. We expect 2Q15 to be more of the same. That said, despite the boredom in the fundamentals, the stocks do zig and zag a bit. They have zigged a lot recently, and we’d advise investors to zag toward a bit more caution.

Shares of JPMorgan were down 2% at $67.57 on Monday morning. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $71.50 and a 52-week trading range of $54.26 to $69.82.

Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor

Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.