1,438 Shares in American Express (NYSE:AXP) Purchased by Accel Wealth Management

Accel Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,438 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $269,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Tyler Stone Wealth Management purchased a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA grew its position 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of American Express from $157.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of American Express from $186.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 18th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on American Express from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered American Express from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $212.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on American Express from $229.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,522,816.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other American Express news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,891,480.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE AXP traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $227.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,272,597 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,159,846. The company has a market capitalization of $164.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $211.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.65. 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 one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $231.69.

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

American Express Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be given 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 (DPR) is presently 21.41%.

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.