JPMorgan Chase: A 6% Yield On Preferred Shares With Potential Capital Gains (NYSE:JPM)

Introduction

JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) is a family identify within the monetary sector. With a market capitalization of roughly $415B and a worldwide model recognition, the financial institution is seen as a frontrunner in its sector. Its monetary efficiency is robust, and though there is a push from US regulators forcing the banks to shore up their capital ratios, JPMorgan should not have any difficulties to scale back the entire quantity of risk-weighted belongings by securitizing a portion of its mortgage portfolio. That method, the quantity of RWA decreases and the CET1 capital ratio will increase even when no further capital is generated.

On this article, I will probably be following up on the Sequence M most popular shares. I mentioned that collection nearly two years in the past however because the rates of interest have gone up, the popular share worth has come down and the efficient yield has elevated.

The financial institution nonetheless is a revenue machine

Earlier than digging deeper into the popular fairness choices by JPMorgan, I clearly wished to ensure the monetary efficiency of the financial institution remains to be sturdy. The financial institution will report on its second quarter subsequent week, so I needed to look again at its Q2 efficiency.

As you possibly can see under, JPMorgan reported a web curiosity earnings of $21.8B. That is a rise of roughly 40% in comparison with the second quarter of final yr and it is barely increased than the online curiosity earnings within the first quarter of this yr. That is encouraging as the online curiosity earnings is a vital driver of the online revenue.

That being mentioned, JPMorgan additionally has a really substantial funding banking and asset administration division, so its earnings profile may be very totally different from a “regular” industrial financial institution which primarily has to depend on the web curiosity earnings and typically the acquire on the sale of loans and bank card earnings. The earnings assertion under reveals JPMorgan generated about $19.5B in non-interest earnings whereas it spent $20.8B on non-interest bills. This implies the financial institution is sort of breaking even on simply the non-interest earnings and that is a really snug place to be in.

The truth is, the pre-tax earnings elevated to $17.6B due to the decrease web non-interest bills and the upper web curiosity earnings. As you possibly can see above, the $17.6B already consists of the affect of a $2.9B mortgage loss provision regardless of that provision being about 20% increased than within the first quarter of this yr. After taking the related taxes under consideration in addition to deducting the online earnings attributable to the minority shareholders, JPMorgan reported a web revenue of $14B. This represented an EPS of $4.76 and pushed the H1 EPS to $8.86. I am unable to say this was a shock as in my earlier article I had already argued the financial institution’s widespread inventory could provide a greater complete return perspective than the popular shares as JPM accomplished the acquisition of the First Republic Financial institution belongings.

The popular share yields are stabilizing

I’ve been keeping track of a number of of JPMorgan’s most popular share points however about two years in the past I zoomed in on the Sequence M most popular shares (NYSE:JPM.PR.M).

Within the third quarter of 2021, JPMorgan issued 80 million models of its Sequence M most popular shares. The M-series are a non-cumulative most popular share with an annual most popular dividend of 4.20% per yr which ends up in $1.05 per share, paid in quarterly installments. The 80 million models have a complete worth of $2B, so this was a comparatively sizable difficulty by JPMorgan because the financial institution was clearly profiting from the low rates of interest on the monetary markets.

Whereas the yield of 4.20% was certainly low and I finally handed on initiating an extended place, the scenario has modified fairly dramatically over the previous 18 months. Because the rates of interest on the monetary markets began to extend, the market costs of fastened earnings securities began to lower and the Sequence M most popular shares had been no exception.

The Sequence M most popular share is presently buying and selling at $17.45 for a yield of roughly 6%. That is nonetheless not excessive, however this safety is – similar to so many different fastened earnings securities – an fascinating name possibility on the normalization of rates of interest. Simply for instance, if the market solely requires a most popular dividend yield of, say, 5.25% from JPMorgan by the tip of subsequent yr, this most popular share will probably be buying and selling at $1.05 / 0.0525 = $20 for a 14.6% capital acquire. In fact, there aren’t any ensures in life however one of these fastened charge most popular shares provide an fascinating risk to invest on decrease rates of interest going ahead.

Funding thesis

I’ve held off on shopping for non-cumulative most popular shares issued by monetary establishments for a number of years however I just lately began shopping for the Wells Fargo (WFC) busted most popular share Sequence L (WFC.PR.L). Not as a result of the yield is awfully excessive, however as a result of I anticipate the rates of interest on the monetary markets to degree off within the subsequent few years and that might pave the best way for a capital acquire on the fastened charge most popular shares.

That is also the case for JPMorgan’s most popular shares. A 6% most popular dividend yield is not thrilling, that is true. However when you anticipate a 100 bp lower in the price of capital (reducing from 6% to five% on the popular fairness), there is a potential for a 20% capital acquire down the highway. And even when that solely materializes in three years from now, the entire annualized return would nonetheless be a excessive single digit quantity.

I presently don’t have any place in JPMorgan’s most popular shares however I am maintaining a detailed eye on the share worth efficiency.