American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Purchased by West Oak Capital LLC

West Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,217 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. American Express accounts for approximately 1.1% of West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in American Express by 1.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,320,053 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $5,281,753,000 after acquiring an additional 507,042 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 118,198.3% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,732,068 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,028,913,000 after purchasing an additional 13,720,460 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in American Express by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,503,902 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,847,452,000 after purchasing an additional 35,760 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in American Express by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,953,460 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,037,387,000 after buying an additional 41,443 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in American Express in the fourth quarter worth $911,554,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 122,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,022,097.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total transaction of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,022,097.16. 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 90 days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP traded down $0.76 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $226.99. 497,118 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,129,542. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $210.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.31. The company has a market capitalization of $164.31 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63. American Express has a one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $231.69.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released 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). The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. American Express had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.07 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Express will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of American Express from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $212.00 to $222.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $167.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $191.84.

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.