Vicus Capital Has $599,000 Stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)

Vicus Capital raised its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 16.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,226 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the quarter. Vicus Capital’s holdings in American Express were worth $599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital & Planning LLC bought a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 24.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 2,633 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $781,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of American Express by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 1,592 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of American Express stock opened at $292.70 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $220.43 and a 12-month high of $326.28. The company has a market capitalization of $205.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $280.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $288.78.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 32.48%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.33 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. American Express’s payout ratio is 22.91%.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total value of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,889,822.54. This represents a 21.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the business’s 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 directly owns 9,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,590,251. The trade was a 50.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $310.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on American Express from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, BTIG Research reduced their price target on American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.05.

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.