It's no coincidence that the banks with the higher return on equity also tend to have the higher market values. If the bank gives investors more bang for their buck, investors will pay more for it. It's perfectly logical.
What does this all mean for JPMorgan's stock going forward?
So far, we've learned that JPMorgan's stock is on the cheap end of the value spectrum from a historical perspective but is somewhere toward the middle of the road compared with its peers in today's market. That fact is a logical result of its return on equity, which is slightly better than industry averages, but still trails the top-performing banks such as Wells Fargo. We also know that analysts are expecting the bank to post a decline in returns and revenues for the first quarter, worsening the bank's valuation (at least in the short term).
Over the long term, then, JPMorgan's stock will perform well if the bank is able to increase its return on equity over time. Based on the bank's past performance, I think this is highly likely.
For long-term investors, I think a great place to see the bank's fundamental performance is in its tangible book value per share from before, during, and since the financial crisis. This number is a good proxy for the ability to generate returns and increase return on equity without the noise from short-term market forces. This chart shows JPMorgan's tangible book value per share each year from 2004 to 2015.