The bank is among the first to report third-quarter earnings results
Major banks names are kicking off a new earnings season, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) is among the first to step into the confessional. The company posted third-quarter earnings $3.74 per share -- higher than Wall Street's estimates of $3 per share. The blue-chip concern attributed the stellar results to the release of $2.1 billion in credit reserves.
Despite the upbeat results, the security received a downgrade from CFRA to "hold' from "buy," as well as a price-target cut to $175. Analysts were mostly optimistic towards the stock coming into today, with seven of the 12 in question carrying a "strong buy" rating.
At last check, shares are down 2.5% to trade at $161.18. The security is now pacing for its lowest close since Sept. 22, while slipping below recent support at the 20-day moving average. JPMorgan Chase stock hit an Oct. 7, all-time high of $171.51, though, and is still up nearly 60% year-over-year.
Options traders are blasting the security. So far today, 63,000 calls and 28,000 puts have crossed the tape, which is three times the intraday average. Most popular is the October 165 call, followed by the 160 put in the same series, both of which expire at the close on Friday.
A broader look shows the options pits have been bearish towards JPMorgan Chase stock. This is per JPM's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1, which sits higher than 82% of readings in its annual range. In simpler terms, short-term options traders have rarely been more put-biased.
Now may be a good opportunity to speculate on JPMorgan Chase stock's next move with options. The security's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 24% stands in the 21st percentile of readings from the past 12 months, indicating options players are currently pricing in low volatility expectations.