Capital Analysts LLC Increases Stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Capital Analysts LLC lifted its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,856 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 136 shares during the quarter. Capital Analysts LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. RB Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 5.3% in the first quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 3,783 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $707,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC lifted its position in American Express by 0.4% during the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 27,029 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $5,054,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in shares of American Express by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,421 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 207.1% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 946 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $177,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter valued at about $397,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total transaction of $2,342,945.22. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total value of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 172,047 shares of company stock valued at $36,528,388. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $218.40 on Wednesday. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $140.91 and a fifty-two week high of $231.69. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $219.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market cap of $158.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. American Express had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 30.99%. American Express’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.07 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on American Express from $157.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $235.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, DZ Bank lowered shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.62.

American Express Company Profile

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.