Financial Avengers Inc. Trims Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Financial Avengers Inc. cut its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,215 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 2,601 shares during the period. American Express accounts for about 5.8% of Financial Avengers Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Financial Avengers Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $12,232,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 7,760 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,303,000 after buying an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. boosted its stake in American Express by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 913 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $271,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 3,102 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $921,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 101.3% during the 4th quarter. White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,834 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 1,929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth $200,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of several research reports. BTIG Research cut their price target on shares of American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Baird R W raised shares of American Express from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Bank of America upgraded shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $325.00 to $274.00 in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $295.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total transaction of $2,603,475.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,590,251. This trade represents a 50.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total transaction of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,919 shares in the company, valued at $2,889,822.54. This represents a 21.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $295.82 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $207.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a fifty day moving average of $267.75 and a 200-day moving average of $288.48. American Express has a 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $326.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a $0.82 dividend. This is an increase from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 22.91%.

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.