Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Sells 22,894 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 404,328 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 22,894 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up 0.8% of Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. owned 0.06% of American Express worth $134,301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its holdings in American Express by 153.3% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new stake in American Express during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its position in American Express by 210.7% in the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wolfe Research started coverage on American Express in a research report on Monday, December 8th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Evercore set a $393.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $356.90.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total value of $9,599,024.25. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. The trade was a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total value of $5,348,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,189,608.10. The trade was a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.6%

American Express stock opened at $300.16 on Friday. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $344.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $348.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market cap of $206.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). 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 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.American Express’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.04 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 24.69%.

American Express Profile

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.