American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Bought by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 95,838 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 1,849 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $17,954,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA lifted its holdings in American Express by 134.8% during the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AXP shares. Robert W. Baird cut American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on American Express in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $235.00 target price on the stock. Stephens upgraded American Express from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $148.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on American Express from $157.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.62.

American Express Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE AXP traded down $0.17 on Thursday, reaching $217.50. The stock had a trading volume of 3,878,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,075,410. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $219.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. American Express has a 1 year low of $140.91 and a 1 year high of $231.69. The company has a market capitalization of $157.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by ($0.02). American Express had a return on equity of 30.99% and a net margin of 13.84%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that American Express will post 12.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The company 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 0.18%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 24.98%.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.