LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI Cuts Stake in American Express Company $AXP

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI cut its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 4.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,108 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 3,352 shares during the period. American Express accounts for approximately 2.6% of LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI’s holdings in American Express were worth $26,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new stake in American Express in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AXP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of American Express from $343.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. BTIG Research upped their target price on American Express from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Barclays raised their target price on American Express from $336.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $334.30.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Denise Pickett sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.73, for a total value of $1,753,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,726 shares in the company, valued at $2,709,739.98. The trade was a 39.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total transaction of $894,359.15. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,515 shares in the company, valued at $894,359.15. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 57,515 shares of company stock valued at $20,658,509 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $376.40 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $360.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $331.01. The company has a market capitalization of $259.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.14. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $220.43 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.61.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $17.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 14.97%.The company’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.49 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. Research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.01%.

About American Express

American Express is a global financial services company primarily known for its payment card products, travel services and merchant network. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company evolved through the 20th century into a payments and travel-focused organization. Its core activities include issuing consumer and commercial charge and credit cards, operating a global card acceptance and processing network, and providing travel-related services and customer loyalty programs.

American Express issues a range of products for individuals, small businesses and large corporations, including personal cards, business and corporate cards, and co‑brand partnerships with airlines, hotels and retailers.