American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Purchased by Wisconsin Capital Management LLC

Wisconsin Capital Management LLC raised its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 23,158 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. American Express comprises approximately 2.6% of Wisconsin Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Wisconsin Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $4,338,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in American Express by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,953,460 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,037,387,000 after acquiring an additional 41,443 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd boosted its stake in American Express by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd now owns 3,572,743 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $533,018,000 after buying an additional 67,575 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in American Express by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,800,045 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $268,549,000 after buying an additional 102,977 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of American Express by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,574,663 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $294,856,000 after acquiring an additional 102,132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,480,157 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $220,825,000 after buying an additional 21,876 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP traded down $2.02 on Thursday, reaching $237.10. 3,327,953 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,198,073. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.55 billion, a PE ratio of 19.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50 day moving average is $222.11 and its 200-day moving average is $190.85. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $140.91 and a fifty-two week high of $240.55.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.40 EPS. American Express’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Express will post 12.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total value of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,209,855.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 210,920 shares of company stock worth $45,804,652. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on AXP. Evercore ISI raised their target price on American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on American Express from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on American Express from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $209.52.

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.