American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Acquired by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 66.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 832,949 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 333,609 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in American Express were worth $156,846,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA raised its holdings in American Express by 134.8% in the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of American Express stock traded down $1.73 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $230.77. 3,203,304 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,577,762. The company has a market cap of $165.99 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.20. American Express has a twelve month low of $140.91 and a twelve month high of $240.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $194.30.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.40 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Express will post 12.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $221.00 price objective (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $210.71.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total value of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total transaction of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total transaction of $17,979,771.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 57,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,248,905.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 203,891 shares of company stock valued at $44,373,196. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

American Express Company Profile

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.