Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC Reduces Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,082 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 413 shares during the quarter. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $3,013,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA raised its position in American Express by 134.8% in the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on AXP shares. DZ Bank lowered American Express from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $221.00 price objective (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $210.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express 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 transaction of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,209,855.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 203,891 shares of company stock valued at $44,373,196. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $232.12. 520,742 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,184,358. The business’s 50 day moving average is $223.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $193.49. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $140.91 and a fifty-two week high of $240.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $166.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that American Express will post 12.99 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. Investors 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 0.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.06%.

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.