Banking, finance, and taxes

Full Earnings Previews for J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo

Friday morning is likely to set the tone of earnings season as far as the big banks are concerned. The two largest banks are reporting earnings: J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC).

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) has a 1.10-to-1 price-to-book ratio. Its market cap is $222.60 billion and its forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is 9.5. With a Thomson Reuters consensus target price of $66.40, J.P. Morgan has an implied upside of 14% — plus that 2.7% dividend yield. J.P. Morgan shares closed Wednesday at $59.27 and were down at $58.30 in mid-Thursday trading ahead of earnings. The bank with the so-called fortress balance sheet has a 52-week trading range of $46.05 to $61.48.

Earnings estimates from Thomson Reuters are $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) and $24.53 billion in revenue. That would be down from $1.59 EPS a year ago with a drop in revenue of close to 5%. J.P. Morgan does not offer guidance on earnings.

Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) is more expensive with a 1.66-to-1 price-to-book value ratio, a big premium among almost all big banks. As a reminder, this is Warren Buffett’s biggest holding and it is among his top dividend stocks for investors. Wells Fargo’s market cap is $258.36 billion, and its forward P/E ratio is up at 11.5. Its consensus target price of $50.86 implies an upside of just over 5% — and that includes a 1.6% mid-Thursday drop to $48.30. Wells Fargo’s dividend yield is still 2.5% but is about to be larger. Wells Fargo’s 52-week trading range is $36.19 to $50.49.

Consensus earnings estimates are $0.97 EPS and $20.6 billion in revenue, which would be compared to $0.92 per share and $21.26 billion in revenue a year ago. Just like J.P. Morgan and other major banks, Wells Fargo does not offer earnings guidance.

SEE ALSO: Bank by Bank Dividend and Buyback Hike Approvals After Fed Review

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