American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seventeen have assigned a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $352.8182.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. BTIG Research reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $328.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Compass Point restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $324.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on American Express from $395.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total value of $894,359.15. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $894,359.15. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total value of $18,010,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 85,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,825,691.17. This trade represents a 36.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 57,515 shares of company stock worth $20,658,509. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Express

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 153.3% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $365.03 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $368.55 and a 200 day moving average of $341.29. American Express has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company has a market cap of $251.45 billion, a PE ratio of 24.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported ($11.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.56 by ($15.41). American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 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.