American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Purchased by Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH

Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH raised its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 28,182 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for approximately 2.1% of Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH’s holdings in American Express were worth $5,280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $210,540,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 1,313.2% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 768,769 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,440,210,000 after acquiring an additional 714,370 shares during the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new stake in American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $73,906,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 636.7% in the 3rd quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 442,307 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $65,988,000 after acquiring an additional 382,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 417.3% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 415,696 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $77,876,000 after acquiring an additional 335,338 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of American Express 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,522,816.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the business’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 transaction, the insider now owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at $2,891,480.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 210,920 shares of company stock worth $45,804,652 in the last ninety days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of American Express stock traded down $1.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $235.64. 2,993,335 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,154,841. The stock has a market cap of $169.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $222.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.45. American Express has a 12-month low of $140.91 and a 12-month high of $240.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.40 EPS. American Express’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that American Express will post 12.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AXP. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $221.00 price target (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of American Express from $221.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $209.52.

About American Express

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.