Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Buys 2,204 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,981 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,204 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $27,896,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in American Express by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,267,377 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $721,525,000 after acquiring an additional 49,593 shares during the last quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,080,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,598,743 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $531,038,000 after buying an additional 4,080 shares in the last quarter. Dempze Nancy E boosted its holdings in American Express by 210.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dempze Nancy E now owns 3,459 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,103,000 after buying an additional 2,344 shares during the period. Finally, Reliant Investment Management LLC grew its stake in American Express by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Reliant Investment Management LLC now owns 26,189 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $8,354,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AXP shares. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 target price on American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on American Express from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group set a $385.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of American Express from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $353.95.

American Express Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of American Express stock opened at $361.76 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.59. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The firm has a market cap of $249.20 billion, a PE ratio of 24.28, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $368.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $342.64.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported ($11.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($15.41). The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 14.97%. Analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 22.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total value of $18,010,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 85,577 shares in the company, valued at $30,825,691.17. The trade was a 36.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.